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Serving Princeton, Rosewood, Brogden, E. Johnston Co., W. Wayne Co., North Carolina |
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Smith sees more positive tone in countyBy Barry Merrill 6 February 2008 — Wayne County Manager Lee Smith had just met with the Carl Best Leadership Group. That hadn’t always been one of his favorite meetings. In fact, as he tells it, “I made them mad in 2007.”
One of the members of that farming community group, Gerald Ballance of Fremont, met with him after that meeting. “You came across very cold,” Mr. Ballance reportedly told the county manager. Mr. Smith asked Mr. Ballance and the group to stand up and make their voice heard. “You have a say so in the community. You’ve got to tell us what you want in your community.” Mr. Smith was very excited about what he heard this year as he challenged each one to raise one or two issues. He said 70% of the questions were about schools, reflecting their concerns and the increasing importance of education in farming. He said zoning was one of those subjects that riled many in years past, but today there is growing appreciation of the protection zoning offers farmers and others in the county. He said transportation, both rails and roads, are of concern to many in the county. Agri-business is not the only ones concerned about schools. The business community has been stepping up, not only seeking improvement but offering how they can help. Business people are having a tough time finding and keeping qualified employees. Recently the county helped fund the Work Keys program, which certifies to employers that applicants have certain work skills necessary to do a job. He said this not only offers certification, but also orients students for skills necessary to be productive employees. School Board Chairman Thelma Smith is concerned about students who choose to drop out of school not finding a positive path in society. Mr. Smith spoke about a program where Teresa Bayer is working the Judge Braswell and the Wayne County Development Alliance to provide GEDs for substance abusers who are completing rehabilitation and want to work. “We want to get them before they end up in jail and learn things that will make it even harder to turn their lives around.” He hopes more mentoring programs can be developed to help meet the needs in the county. Mr. Smith said that while some of his meetings with citizens have not always been positive, some of his meetings with county employees have not always been positive either. “We’ve made changes in staff, we’ve had staff turnover, and we’ve retrained. Some days people don’t like me very much.” He says they have been trying to clean their own house, not necessarily trying to find fault, but to find where they need to invest. They’re setting measurable objectives in every department, and that’s not always easy. He pointed with some pride to the community’s recognition of the need for a new animal shelter, and with the community raising $600,000, including a $100,000 anonymous pledge. He mentioned that the fundraising success was earning him a haircut, as he was getting his head buzz-cut in response to a challenge he had issued. He also pointed to Commissioner John Bell taking his time to plant flowers at Goldsboro High School, trying to beautify that school campus as a volunteer. He wanted to make the school look better so people will take more pride in the school. Mr. Smith is concerned about health services. He says while most of us see public health services as just for the poor, there are many in the county who can’t afford health insurance, including many working people. Some can’t afford the insurance or the deductible. He says the WATCH van services and clinics are vitally important for the county to provide those services. One of the benefits of improved health services is reduction in employee absenteeism, and healthier students do better in school. Much of the conversation revolved around the recently proposed $23 million school facility plan, and Mr. Smith acknowledged that was just the start of the needs. Finding money to do more school construction, along with a new detention center, buildings for health and DSS, and services for the aging is going to be challenging. “Wayne County can’t borrow $300 million.” One of the benefits he sees to help finance will be lowered operating costs in new school buildings. Eventually the county will need to pass a bond issue, but they need the vote of the people to spend the money. “Their vote will be the authorization to spend the money.” Mr. Smith says in the six years he has been in Wayne County he’s seen changes in the way the community is thinking about things in the county. “It’s not the same chatter you used to hear. We’re talking about ‘what do you want to see better?’”
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