Canceled meeting draws questions
By Rochelle Moore
Published in News on March 15, 2017 10:09 AM
The last-minute cancellation of Tuesday night's Goldsboro Community Affairs Commission meeting left one board member with questions.
Chrétien Dumond, a member of the commission, spent last week asking residents to attend the meeting at City Hall in an effort to increase public involvement in recently surfaced concerns in the community.
Momentum appeared to surround the meeting, after Dumond actively sought public participation and invited people to attend to air their concerns about divisions in the city.
His invitation came on the heels of several events last week, including the local NAACP president's call for Scott Stevens, city manager, to resign after he declined to discipline Police Chief Mike West for social media activity supporting President Trump.
Stevens found no fault or violation of city personnel rules, and his decision is backed by several members of the city council.
Other issues also came to light last week after a group of students and adults shared concerns about Goldsboro High School before the Wayne County Board of Education, Goldsboro City Council and Wayne County Board of Commissioners.
Dumond wanted residents to become actively involved, instead of airing their concerns on social media, by sharing their thoughts, ideas and concerns with the commission.
He received an email from Shycole Simpson Carter around 6 p.m. Monday evening notifying him and other commission members of the cancellation.
Simpson Carter also notified city staff Monday night, and a notice of cancellation came out of the city clerk's office Tuesday morning, said Laura Getz, deputy city clerk.
Simpson Carter needed to be at the meeting in her capacity as facilitator, Getz said.
Stevens said it would be unusual for a council-appointed board to not have a city staff person in attendance.
Dumond said the cancellation "seems a little strange," after a news story highlighted the planned meeting in Sunday's News-Argus.
"I feel like the community will lose trust in the commission if we cancel this meeting," Dumond said.
Comantha Johnson, also a member of the commission, said she wasn't concerned about the change.
"It's not a problem that the meeting is postponed until next month," Johnson said.
The commission meets once a month, with its next scheduled meeting on April 11.