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| PUBLISHED
ONLINE NOVEMBER 7, 2019 •
VOL. 1, NO. 45 |
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| John Dunn, Steve Rabil, Roger Wood are winners of Tuesday's Town Council election Here's how the votes stacked up: John Dunn, 449; Steve Rabil, 400; Roger Wood, 384; Jim Snyder, 323; and Doris Wallace, a write-in candidate, 154.  The three winners will begin four-year
terms in office next month. It will be the second term
for all three: Councilmen Dunn and Rabil first won
election four years ago; Mr. Wood served a four-year
term that ended in 2017 but decided not to seek
re-election two years ago.Mayor Andy Moore won re-election to a third consecutive two-year term. He had no opposition on Tuesday's ballot and got 619 votes (23 write-in votes were cast). Councilman Emery Ashley chose not to seek re-election this year and will be replaced on the board next month by Mr. Wood. The other four members of the Town Council are elected by districts to four-year terms that weren't on this year's ballot: Marlon Lee, District 1 (East Smithfield); David Stevens, District 2 (South Smithfield); Travis Scott, District 3 (North Smithfield); and David Barbour, District 4 (West Smithfield). Those seats will be up for election two years from now. For results of Tuesday's voting by precinct, visit the Board of Elections website> |
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 Trucks and kids galore enliven Downtown The "Touch-A-Truck" event put on by the Junior Women's League of Smithfield gets bigger each year. Last Saturday's fourth annual edition occupied two blocks of Downtown's South Third Street plus a block of Johnston Street and another block of South Second as well as adjacent parking lots. In the scene above, "Muddy the Mudcat," official mascot of the nearby Minor League baseball team, teases a couple of youngsters as they check out the various vehicles on display. In the background is the Smithfield Fire Department's brand-new ladder truck, delivered just in time for Saturday's festivities. Besides an impressive assemblage of fire and rescue units on hand were all sorts of construction and delivery vehicles brought in by local and regional businesses. Proceeds from this year's event will benefit My Kid's Club. MORE about it on this week's OBSERVATIONS page> |
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 Harbor's Kay Johnson gets Athena Award
Kay Johnson has led Harbor, based in Smithfield, since 2016. She has worked with a number of agencies helping people over the years, including the Johnston County Department of Social Services, Johnston County Youth Services Inc., and Johnston-Lee-Harnett Community Action. A minister, Ms. Johnson earned a Master of Theological Studies degree at Liberty University in 2015 and a Master of Divinity degree at Shaw University in 2018. Named for the Greek goddess of wisdom, courage, and inspiration, the Athena Award honors women for professional excellence and valuable community service, and for actively assisting other women in their quest for professional excellence and leadership skills. |
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Library facing $125,000 budget shortfall; county steps up with $75,000 contribution The Public Library of Johnston County and Smithfield has depleted its fund balance to the point that it's $125,000 short of making its 2019-20 budget. Johnston's County Commissioners responded Monday by adding $75,000 to the county's previously allocated $476,000 to support the library's operations this fiscal year. Jeff Jennings, chairman of the library's trustees, said he will ask the Smithfield Town Council for the remaining $50,000 at its monthly meeting next Tuesday (Nov. 12). The town's budget currently allocates $270,000 for library operations.  Mr. Jennings told County Commissioners
Monday evening that the library had budgeted $255,000
from its fund balance for this year's budget but
recently discovered that balance to be "much lower
than expected." After cutting about $50,000 from its
budget and drawing down other funds from investments,
the library still needs $125,000 to make ends meet,
Mr. Jennings said.Reasons for the depleted fund balance, he explained, include a reduction in the Town of Smithfield's contribution to the library several years ago and a recent push to bring salaries of library employees in line with salaries of county employees. The Smithfield-based library, which supports affiliated libraries in most of Johnston's towns, gets 40% of its annual funding from the county, 23% from the town, 16.5% from the state, and the rest from investments, endowments, and fees. It was established in 1967 by a merger of separate libraries operated by the County of Johnston and the Town of Smithfield. READ MORE about Monday's sessions of the County Commissioners> Jeff Carver bowing out, Fred Smith is in as a commissioner candidate in 2020 The filing period for candidates seeking four seats on the Johnston County Board of Commissioners in the 2020 election is just one month away.
Mr. Carver was appointed to the Board of Commissioners in early 2003 to succeed Mr. Smith, who took office in late 2000, then resigned after winning election to the N.C. Senate. Mr. Carver subsequently won election to full terms in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016. "As I look back, this has been a time of enormous residential growth and major economic announcements," Mr. Carver said." It has been fun to be a part of many wonderful things that have occurred in Johnston County and I will always look upon them favorably. I am very appreciative of the many relationships that have been formed over the years and can only say thank you to all." (Mr. Carver is senior vice president and manager of commercial banking at First Citizens in Smithfield.) Although Commissioner Carver will remain in office until his current term expires in late 2020, the filing period for candidates seeking offices up for grabs in next year's primary and general elections opens December 2 and ends December 20. Besides Mr. Carver's seat, three other County Commissioner seats will be up for election next year. Those are presently held by Chairman Ted Godwin of the Kenly-Micro-Selma district, Tony Braswell of the Pine Level-North Smithfield-Wilson's Mills district, and Larry Wood of the MGee's Crossroads-Benson-Meadow district. Mr. Wood announced on Wednesday that he will seek re-election to a second term. Candidates for commissioner are elected from separate residential districts by all the county's voters to serve four-year terms. |
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 Veterans Day:a Monday holiday with a SSS tradition Next Monday (Nov. 11) is Veterans Day --- a holiday for federal, state, and local government offices and services as well as Johnston County's schools. Also closed are banks and the Post Office. The highlight of local Veterans Day observances is the annual program hosted by Smithfield-Selma High School at 11 a.m. in the gymnasium. "The event is completely student-led and is a joint effort by our high-school JROTC cadets, All-County Chorus, and All-County Band," reads an announcement on the Johnston County Public Schools website. The event will be "live-streamed" on the school system's Facebook page>  American Legion photo
Legion Post celebrates building project American Legion
Post 132 of Smithfield recently celebrated
completion of upgrades to its building off North
Bright Leaf Boulevard. The refurbished facility is
now available for family reunions, baptism
celebrations, wedding parties, and other special
occasions. It's being used on a regular basis by
Chapter 990 of the Vietnam Veterans of America and
Post 5886 of the Veterans of Foreign Wars as well as
Legion Post 132 and its Auxiliary. Pictured are
dignitaries who took part in the recent celebration:
(RIGHT TO LEFT) Ernie Allsbrook, Post 132 Commander;
former N.C. Senator and retired Colonel Ronald
Rabin; Bo Durham, Commander of N.C. American Legion
Division III; Sean van Pallandt, Vice Commander of
N.C. Legion District 11; Randy Cash, State Adjutant
of the N.C. Legion; Rudy Baker of VFW Post 5886; Ron
Whittington, past president of VVA Chapter 990; and
John Parrish, a trustee of Johnston Community
College, whose foundation owns the property.
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LOCAL GOVERNMENT AGENDAS
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  JOHN
P. (JACK)
O'HALEAttorney at Law 102 S. Third St. Smithfield 919-934-6021 e-mail kim@jackohale.com |
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DEATHS & FUNERALS Each week we'll post links to obituaries about persons who have died during the past week. We'll monitor the websites of local funeral homes to compile our list, and we welcome links provided by readers to obituaries of persons with Smithfield connections who have died outside our immediate area. SHERRILL TART FREEMAN JR., 75 - died November 3 CLAUDIA DIANNE JOHNSON STANCIL, 66 - died November 1 |
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THAT'S THE WAY IT WAS A product of
Smithfield's last cotton gin
This
photograph, published in The Smithfield
Herald in September 1963, shows the first
bale of cotton ginned in Johnston County that
season --- at the Smithfield cotton gin owned by
J. Marvin Johnson (left) on the "Truck Lane"
(today's South Bright Leaf Boulevard). With him
is farmer M.D. McLamb (right) and his son George
(kneeling). Behind the 400-pound pale is Mr.
Johnson's son Jimmy, identified as "yardman,"
and Willie Elbert Parker, "ginner." The
Smithfield gin --- the last to operate in
Johnston County's --- was dismantled in 1975.
The structure that housed it was recently
demolished after standing unused for 44 years.
(Photo from Johnston County
Heritage Center)
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"INSIDE" PAGES IN THIS WEEK'S EDITION COUNTY COMMISSIONERS' November 4 sessions> FEATURE PAGE: Booker Dairy Road's realignment> SPORTS & RECREATION: County coordinator hired> OBSERVATIONS: A fall festival for Smithfield?> WANT TO VIEW PREVIOUS EDITIONS? Visit our archives |
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