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even candidates are running for the five Town Commissioner seats on Oriental’s Town Board: all 5 current members – Charlie Overcash, Larry Summers, Barbara Venturi, David White and Sandy Winfrey – and 2 challengers – Gwendolyn Gibbs and Allen Price. There is one candidate, Sally Belangia, running for mayor.

The makeup of the next board will be determined on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3. But Oriental voters may also cast ballots early. The early voting period began on October 22 and runs thru October 31.

Over the past decade, TownDock has organized candidate forums in advance of town elections and early voting. While it was not possible to put together a public forum this year, TownDock.net thought hearing the candidates’ views and responses to queries might benefit voters, both in early voting and on election day. On October 19 we emailed a list of 11 questions to candidates and received responses from all 8 by the October 24 deadline.

The responses are here. They are in a forum format so that at a glance, a reader/voter may see the breadth — or similarity — of the responses to a question from all 7 Town Commission candidates. The candidates are listed in alphabetical order of last names and then staggered so that a different candidate’s response starts the subsequent rounds, just as is done at the live forums.

Since Sally Belangia is running unopposed for mayor, her responses are on a separate page from the Commissioner candidates. (See page 7.)

Here then, the virtual forum of questions for the seven candidates.

1. Besides wanting to serve, why do you want to run for a seat on the Town Board?

Gwendolyn Gibbs: The Board needs a diverse point of view that will incorporate the views of the entire town community before issues are voted on.


Charlie Overcash: To help Oriental to continue to be a gem location in eastern NC.

Allen Price: I would like to serve to be a new voice on the board with fresh ideas.  I am ready to learn from, listen to, and respond to our citizens’ concerns.

Larry Summers: I love Oriental and Pamlico County. I desire to make it better without changing the nature of the town.

Barbara Venturi: I think “wanting to serve” is a very good reason to run for office. It is after all just volunteering to help my town (there is no pay of any sort for being a mayor or commissioner in Oriental). However, the main reason I serve, is that I am creative and very hard working, and feel by brinGing those aspects of myself to the community, I can help it thrive.

I sailed into in Oriental during Croakerfest, July 1984. After being in town for twenty-two years, in 2005, I thought I knew enough about the people here and the community to be on the Board. I had an agenda: 1) more public dockage at the harbor (done); 2) a better and more serviceable town hall (done); 3) a long range vision and plan for the town (done – but needs updating). I was first elected in 2005 and have served as commissioner for four terms since then.

I am still hoping that the town will establish a long-term plan to build on the best of what we have and minimize the effects of our limitations. I’ve been a problem-solver all my career and believe that my experience, now including a decade of service to the town, can help chart a course for the town’s future. One of the problems the town had then, as I think is has today, is a lack of a clear vision for how it should develop. The first thing I initiated was the development of a Town Vision. We’d never done it before, so it took quite a while. In fact, I think it would be good to renew that vision, since the last effort was a decade ago.

David White: Oriental is an outstanding place to live. My wife Jean and I have found a wonderful community here and we are proud to call Oriental our home. We have been property owners since 2000 and started construction of our home in 2002. If there is something I have found to be true over my life, it is that change is inevitable, and I very much want to be a part of helping to manage change (whatever it may throw at Oriental) and to ensure that Oriental maintains its sense of community and quality of life for all.

Sandy Winfrey: As I mentioned in the forum 2 years ago, I felt like it was time for me to pay some effort back to the town……and stop just complaining and do something.

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2. What is Oriental’s biggest challenge?

Charlie Overcash: Running the town with the limited funds available in our budget.

Allen Price: Oriental’s biggest challenge is maintaining and increasing its tax base to support the needs of the city. This does not mean a tax increase but rather increasing the base that will increase revenues coming into the city.  Increasing the base would be achieved by recruiting new businesses, increased business for current merchants, or annexing new areas.
We must support our current businesses.  We cannot afford to lose anymore.  Most of our businesses, with the exception of Walmart, Dollar General, and West Marine, are locally owned.  They are owned and run by our friends and neighbors.  We all need to support them.

Larry Summers: Balancing the inevitability of change while maintaining the history and tradition of a unique small town.

Barbara Venturi: Sustainability.
The most important thing in governance is the sustainability of your charge.
Like many retirement destinations, we do not have a multi-generational community. Most who move here move away at some point. The only thing they hope the town will do for them is help maintain their property value. For these residents, when it’s time to move nearer to healthcare or children, they hope to sell their property at a reasonable price in a reasonable time. Oriental, since the 1960’s, has been attracting boats and retirees. The boat owners do add capital to the local economy and the businesses benefit. Unfortunately, most who’ve been raised locally head out into the wider world to make their living and raise families. Only a few industries support opportunities for a living wage locally.

I have invited representatives of ECU and the Wood’s Hole Marine Biological Laboratory here to Oriental hoping to inspire them to develop an inland marine science institute here, in Oriental. (Thanks to Sherrill Styron who hosted ECU at the Garland Fulcher Seafood property when ECU came looking). I hope to help the town attract a business, science institute, museum, or other enterprise that would create somewhere between 40 and 80 good local jobs. This would establish a broader, multi-generational economic base and hopefully attract add-on enterprises that would support and expand the function of the first.

David White: As with many small cities or towns, Oriental is faced with a limited budget from which it needs to fund all of Oriental’s activities, such as: current and future infrastructure; hurricane and storm preparation and recovery; storm water drainage issues; Town employees; day to day administrative work; the Water Plant; and debris, recycling and waste pick up services, just to name a few. It is very important for the Town to rank and pick the right set of activities to focus on in order to ensure that Oriental continues to function as effectively as it has done in the past. There has been excellent work done on Oriental’s Long Range Plan developed under previous administrations that needs to be referenced when discussing budgets to ensure the Town is on the right track. Additionally, each year the Town engages in a planning session, which is open to the Public, to review the Long Range Plan and budget considerations and to set the Town’s priorities. All of these items are continuous challenges.

Sandy Winfrey: Balancing multiple needs with limited funds.

Gwendolyn Gibbs: Attracting and retaining younger, working families.

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3. What issue do you think is most overlooked?

Allen Price: (Candidate chose to make no response to this question.)

Larry Summers: I think our roads need a lot of work. The Powell Bill money that is supposed to keep our roads up is insufficient to adequately maintain them, particularly with our contracting out repairs. We also need more sidewalks.

Barbara Venturi: Developers have annexed many neighborhoods into Oriental to get the smaller lot sizes than the county allows and more density that access to town water and sewer provide. This way they maximize their housing sites. Not one PUBLIC park or recreation site, boat launch, tennis court, or other public feature or facility has been provided to the town as part of these developments. There has been a lot of work done to try to build a bike/pedestrian path between the Village and the Dolphin Point sections of town. It’s easy to see why people from White Farm want to come to the Village where there are shops, parks, a public tennis court (soon to include Pickle Ball lines), playgrounds, beautiful places to sit and enjoy river views, etc. But, to make a case for the people of the Village to ride out to Dolphin is a harder sell. There is not one piece of public space there. Not even a place install a bench or a water fountain if anyone from the village were to wander out there.

Most communities have a “Recreation Fee” that developers include with their permit applications. It can be based on land value, land size, and other factors, but every time a development comes into town, that development should provide something, however small, for public use. Such a thing has never been asked or required of developers here before. I know some will say it’s bad for business, but if you look into the value throughout the country that is near or adjacent to parks and nature access, it would more than pay for itself. At least the town should consider such things, even just a bike path through each community, maybe in place before the next development rush.

David White: The term “overlooked” is a bit harsh, and while we have not overlooked the items mentioned below, additional consideration needs to be directed towards them. The first is our Water Plant. The Water Advisory Board, Town Manager Diane Miller, and Town staff have done outstanding jobs addressing our aging Plant and it is operating with greater efficiency, but additional resources will need to be directed there. Second is our roads. While we have seen an upturn in new home construction, the large trucks that bring in the building materials have taken a toll on the roads. Addressing this issue over the long term will take additional planning and financial resources.

Sandy Winfrey: Before my time on the board, I would’ve had a hundred (wrong) answers to this question. In most situations, the process to actually get results takes so long that it eventually appears that things are being overlooked, which is not the case.

Gwendolyn Gibbs: Road maintenance, appropriate and legal signage.

Charlie Overcash: Many issues are not overlooked, they just have to be completed in an order of relevance and manpower. There is a misconception in town of what we can or cannot do. Come to town meetings and learn more about what is going on with different boards and town management. The budget is open
to anyone who wants to see it.

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4. What asset does Oriental have that deserves more attention?

Larry Summers: Our waters, harbors and boats (both recreational and commercial) are our most important assets. We need to stay active trying to preserve them in the best condition possible. Having commercial and recreational boats in one location is becoming more and more unique in modern coastal areas.

Barbara Venturi: Beauty. I do think that a large part of Oriental’s charm is its inveterate quirkiness. I’m not talking about creating a “Stepford” town. Creativity, whimsy and playfulness are a large part of what makes here special. And then there are Dragons! But, we could go a tad farther and look like how proud we are to be here.
We could do a lot to make the community more attractive. We already do a lot. The Tree Board celebrated planting its 1,000th three this year and planted a tree in honor of Madeline Sutter, the first resident to take on making Oriental a “Tree City”.

In Question 2, I wrote about sustainability, which right now is mostly maintaining property values. Well, attractiveness is a big part of that. I think the town should look at opportunities to help businesses and residents find ways and some of the means to improve the overall look and attractiveness of the town, businesses and residential properties. Some simple things, like planting hedges, trees, and shrubs for screening things that aren’t that attractive, for example.
Bob Maxbauer once proposed a “Pride in Oriental” campaign based on a community effort he observed (I think somewhere in Texas). We never talked it all through at the time, but in the village, especially with businesses, we should do all we can to put our best foot forward. Maybe a tad more attention to the details, curb appeal, and our Pride in Oriental.

David White: Our Water Plant mentioned above is one such asset. Another asset that needs additional attention is our waterfront area. We are fortunate to live in a beautiful setting on the Neuse River and the improvement of our waterfront vistas only draws more visitors that bring revenue to our local businesses. We have started new work around the Harbor with the construction of restrooms and pump out facilities on Town Dock 2 property, which will be very positive for the Town, but additional work needs to be done. Just as we are investing in our facilities, other entities like River Dunes and small waterfront Towns on the ICW (Belhaven, Southport, New Bern, etc.) are also doing the same. The more we can improve our waterfront assets, the better it will be for all.

Sandy Winfrey: Waterfronts.

Gwendolyn Gibbs: Waterfront development that incorporates public and possibly commercial usage.

Charlie Overcash: Our waterfront.

Allen Price: A friend talked to me about the Recreation Park out by the fire station and suggested that it deserved more attention.  I rode out to the park and saw about 50 cars and more children than I could count.  I came away absolutely agreeing with her.  We need to spruce it up and provide more permanent facilities than the Port-o-Johns provide.  This park is a wonderful piece of property for our youth and town, and they deserve better.  Should we also add a dog park?



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5a. Question for incumbents: is there a vote you cast or action you took as a Board member that you would do differently?

Barbara Venturi: Yes, we’re talking “sustainability” again. We must have four year staggered terms. For the Board and Mayor. I have in each of my terms attempted to get my fellow commissioners to appreciate the very dangerous situation we have when every two years all six elected seats in town, the mayor and five commissioners, are up for election. I have had no success with this.

The current state of affairs allows the potential horrible situation that all new six officers (mayor and 5 commissioners) could be elected, take office, and know nothing and be able to do less. I know how easy it looks from the outside. But, you know what, it’s just not a cinch. I felt like it took my first term to get a full understanding of the Federal, State, County, and Municipal laws, restrictions, and regulations that we must accommodate as we attempt to guide the town. With a strong, experienced town manager, maybe the town would survive, but there’d be no one who knew enough about governance to know if what they were told or shown was all that needed to be considered. It gets dangerous especially with an incompetent or underhanded town manager. The most important thing a Town Commissioner does is provide oversight of the Town Manager, who by law runs everything about the town, with direction from the Board of Commissioners. (Luckily, we have a very able and competent Town Manager at this time).

There is another way to pursue four-year staggered terms, and my mistake was not pursuing it sooner. If I win the election or not, considering it’s the future and sustainability of the town that concerns me most, I will pursue this objective through other means.

David White: None come to mind, but as with any decision or action, it is always prudent to review one’s decisions once additional information becomes available. I am very much a believer in making quick decisions, as the worst decision is no decision. Once an action is taken, reviews are always constructive and future modifications can be considered as needed.

Sandy Winfrey: We’re in right good shape since the current board took oath….I’m good with what we’ve done.

Charlie Overcash: Oriental is doing better than it has for many years. We have a very competent town manager, the water plant is in the best shape since it was
new and many more town related areas are in very good shape. Due to these
results, I think what we have done is positive and correct.

Larry Summers: I cannot think of one. I try to research and question every element of every issue. I solicit input from everyone I come in contact with to develop the right response and balance it with the law.

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5b. Question for challengers: what vote of the Board, or action of the Board, would you have done differently?

Gwendolyn Gibbs: No response at this time, however I will continue to view past board actions.

Allen Price: I do not want to Monday morning quarterback the Board. I was not in the meetings, closed door sessions, or in their shoes. If we can learn from the past and use what we have learned for the future we all win. I will be glad to listen and discuss any issue.

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6. What in your past or present career best prepares you for the Town Board?

David White: Before becoming a Town Commissioner two years ago, I spent four years on the Planning Board gaining an understanding of the Town’s operations and issues. Prior to this, I was with IBM for 39 years in their Public Sector area working with State, Local and Municipal Governments worldwide. I have worked with many Government leaders on infrastructure improvements, best practices implementations and governance models. My current focus areas as a Board Member are Human Resources, Finances and representation on the Planning Board and the Harbor Water Committee.

Sandy Winfrey: I started working here when I was about 10 years old, so I’ve seen a lot and I’m familiar with just about every part of town.

Gwendolyn Gibbs: As a nurse for 33 years, I have had countless opportunities to participate in the processes of evaluation, planning, implementation, and resolution of many issues. I have dealt with people of all cultures, backgrounds and financial status. I’ve had to make critical decisions quickly, delegate duties to subordinates and see to the overall care of up to 23 surgical patients on a day to day basis. As an associate minister at my church, the words honesty and integrity are not just words for me anymore they are a part of who I am. My desire to do what is fair and right, as a lifelong resident of Oriental is part of what drives me to seek a position on the Town Board.

Charlie Overcash: Board of Adjustment member for many years. Chairman of the Planning Board for almost three years. Town Commissioner for last two years. Director level of a large communications company. That job involved budgeting, goal achievement, personnel management and planning.

Allen Price: 
In my job I have represented our company calling on customers and dealing with various issues that occur between a supplier and its customers.  It required listening, gathering and analyzing data, and working out the best solutions for all involved.  My 40+ years of listening and working with customers has prepared me to listen and work with our citizens, even when we disagree.  Keeping opposing groups together is needed for future success.

Larry Summers: I have served in many elected and appointed positions starting in my college days to the present. As a political science major I was always involved. I like to joke that I received the volunteer gene from my parents and think that giving back is important.

Barbara Venturi: I had my own business, so know budgeting pretty well. I had my own consulting firm and specialized in problem solving major computer and data base systems. My professional life was as a problem solver, and a town has its share of those.

I like using my skills and talents for my community, but believe me, nothing prepared me to serve. I thought I’d walk in the first day and be able to contribute. Luckily we had Wyatt Cutler then, very capable and experienced, so not knowing it all the first day wasn’t that important. But, we were four new commissioners of the five. We made mistakes, lots of them. We meant well, but were so new. Most of us ran for office again and have contributed to the town as we gained in understanding and experience.

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7. The proposed bike pathway between the two parts of Oriental has been in the planning stages for years. Can it be accomplished? What would you do to cut thru the impasse?

Sandy Winfrey: The only way I see a bike path happening is through grant money.

Gwendolyn Gibbs: The proposed bike path can be accomplished at some point in our long range plan. I see the bike path as a amenity that should only come to pass after basic infrastructure type issues have been dealt with, such as town roads, streets, appropriate signage etc.

Charlie Overcash: Strive to realize the already initiated grant request for money to complete the project.

Allen Price: 
I think a bike path would be an asset; however, I would like to get the details and review what has already been done in order to proceed to the next level.  We need to apply for any grant that might help us achieve this goal. 




Larry Summers: I think that we have done a lot of talking about this issue but talk alone does not make it happen. At one point we apparently had permission from Progress Energy to use their right-of-way under the power lines. It is now Duke Energy and we have not renewed this permission. Without that we would have very little possibility of connecting anything until the adjoining tracts were developed and a road system was in place. Sylvan Friedman used to own the adjoining tracts and apparently gave us some permission to explore a pathway. Those tracts are now owned by Chris Fulcher. While a couple of people have mentioned the issue to him, no one has actually shown him possible routes through his property. It is vital to get him involved and insure that what we do is good for his investment in the land and good for the town. Win-win is the answer. Once we have some possible routes then we need to get a survey or study involved to make it the best possible route. There are grants available that might take care of this. Then of course we would have to clear and pave the route. That would be an expensive proposition. We could only do it with a major grant. The town would have to commit substantial funds to support any matching fund requirements of such a grant. It would be good to start dedicating some money annually to support his project. This is not a project where the use of occupancy tax monies would be appropriate. It must come from our regular appropriated funds. We will have to take many potential costs into consideration including policing, lighting and maintaining the route. There is a lot of work to be done but physically connecting the two major parts of the town is important.

Barbara Venturi: Can it be done: yes. How: with public funding through grants or private contributions. Break the impasse?: establish a team to do nothing else than pursue this project.

I originally conceived of the bike/pedestrian trail between Oriental’s two peninsulas in 2006. I thought if we could used the power company rights-of-way that traverse between HWY 55, through the Northern end of Whittaker Creeks wetlands, over to White Farm Road that we’d be able to provide an alternative pedestrian/bicycle/golf cart route connecting the two areas of town. Eight years ago (Wyatt Cutler was in his first stint as Town Manager) we did our own estimate of the cost (remember, wetlands: permits, CAMA, DWQ). The cost was based on having to “bridge” 800 feet of wetlands. The estimate: $250,000. Since then I’ve written some private grant proposals for surveys and planning help, and also some Department of Transportation grant proposals trying to get the resources to fully plan and complete the plan. We’ve gotten some grant money for planning, but not the big ones for execution. The cost relative to the town’s population is a significant factor in these proposals having been denied, even when we can show overwhelming support for the project from the town’s residents and businesses.

The town will never have $300,000 to put into that trail (our annual budget is about $850,000). There are only 900 residents; one penny of town tax brings in $20,000 per year. I’ll be submitting another grant request to NC/DOT by Friday, October 30th, again trying to get funds to move the bike trail forward. Without external funding, we, the town, will not be able to make it happen. Of course, if there are any entrepreneurial spirits out there who think they can pull together such resources, please call me (249-1141).

David White: You are correct in that it has been in the planning stages for many years. For the bike path to become a reality, it needs to be elevated to a must-do project. As stated above (ED: in Mr. White’s answers to previous questions), we have a limited budget and need to decide where those limited funds are to be spent. To make this a reality, the Board, with public input, needs to vote to make this a priority, or not. If the vote is “no,” we move to other projects. If selected, the steps that need to be taken are: 1) make it a priority, 2) determine the cost to complete, 3) develop an implementation plan with steps or phases, 4) determine funding sources (grants, Town budget, private donations, business donations, etc.) and then finally construct.

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8. With Town-n-Country grocery closing, Oriental will soon have an empty storefront right at the entrance to town on Hwy 55. What business would you want to see there? Can and/or should the Town take a role in that?

Gwendolyn Gibbs: I would love to see the town get involved with this building and cause this to be something that would bring inner city and outer city community together. Perfect location. This would be a great project for planning board.

Charlie Overcash: A business that would benefit the town. At this point, I don’t know what that might be, but I would actively help a search for one. The town
should take an advisory role.

Allen Price:
 Public library branch in Oriental. Today’s library is not just checking out books.  Libraries offer:
      
Internet – Not everybody can afford computer and internet service.
   Librarians helping people do research.
      
Families saving money by borrowing books and DVD’s.
      
Teen after school programs.
      
Kids summer reading programs.


Larry Summers: The town itself can do very little except to insure that our zoning allows a business to be able to operate and make money. Our current zoning would not allow the same size building to be built. A major rehab of the building could come into conflict with our current restrictions. We may wish to re-examine those restrictions.

Barbara Venturi: I wish the effort we made seven years ago to get Exterritorial Jurisdiction from the town to the Straight Rd/Hwy 55 corner had come out better. But it wasn’t supported by our state officials, Representative Alice Underhill or Senator Jeanne Preston and was defeated. At least then, the Wal-mart would have had to follow the town’s development rules which may have provided a more level playing field for Town ‘n Country.

There are few things the town can do regarding businesses. Town ‘n Country is a large space and may attract a very creative new enterprise.

The most important thing the town can do for businesses is to increase the traffic in town. The Tourism Board, for which I am the Commissioner Liason, has been working hard on this and is now advertising state-wide on-line with Our State, as well as participating locally in festivals, such as the Mum Fest, to promote Oriental. Anyone with ideas about building Oriental’s economic base is invited to attend Tourism Board meetings, the third Tuesday of each month at 5:30PM, Oriental Town Hall. All input is appreciated and volunteers for Booths, writing articles about the town and local events, or just brainstorming are welcome.

We’re called the sailing capital of North Carolina. But, what percent of the world finds that a draw? We must find more ways to appeal to the general public by featuring things to do (other than sailing alone), things to see, and the lovely features our small town offers. One of the biggest economic boosts locally are weddings. They bring many who have never been here before and are happy to shop in places new to them. And, look at what’s happening to Kinston since the destination restaurant “The Chef and The Farmer” set up shop, their downtown is booming.

David White: It is a shame to see Town and Country closing, as they will be greatly missed. One solution to the vacant building is the possibility of an existing business in Town moving into the space. I am not aware of any active plans for this at the present time. There has also been discussions around Town of a food co-op operating in the vacant space, but these discussions are in the very early stages of development. It will be difficult to fill this vacant space, and as a Board member, I will work to make sure the Town does all it can to remedy this vacancy.

Sandy Winfrey: I don’t have thoughts on what type of business should go there. I would be willing to consult with potential venturers, but not on a town board level….I don’t feel the board should be involved in that.

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9. Should Oriental do anything differently to encourage more tourists to visit? If so, what?

Charlie Overcash: The tourism board is doing a great job. We should help that board in any way we can that benefits the town.

Allen Price: 
When I asked the local merchants what the Town of Oriental could do for them, they all said “bring me people”.  I would make sure we have all the camp schedules, distribute the schedule to the merchants, and try to get more campers and their families to come to Oriental when being dropped off, picked up, or during parents’ weekend.   I would schedule an event on parent’s weekend. The events would be designed to bring people into town to eat, shop, boat, fish or any other activity that the town can offer.  An example would be a shrimp festival on Hodges Street.



I would also like to consider hosting Music in the Park at Lou Mac Park a few weekends in the spring and fall.  These “concerts” could  be held on Sunday afternoons – 2 to 4. These times do not compete with local businesses but may very well attract visitors who will shop and dine while in town.  Bring your own chair!   A Gospel group like the New Sensational Messengers or the Mt. Zion M.B. Church Choir have both performed at the Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival and are terrific.   The Pamlico County High School band could perform.    The students’ parents, grandparents, and neighbors would come – again bringing in people to shop and eat.  


We need more and different advertising of events going on in Oriental.

We have a great town for festivals. The Croaker Festival is one of the best run, managed, and fun festivals anywhere, as are the Ol Front Porch Music Festival, Chili Cook Off, Chowder Cook Off, Town Wide Yard Sale,  Art on the Neuse, the Spirit of Christmas, the Dragon Run, and  others.  For a small town, we have much to offer.  We need to get the word out!

 What about getting on the list for some bus tours?  They could come during the week and not just on the weekend.


Larry Summers: In the last few years the Tourisim Board has done a great job in advertising the town. There is a lot of competition along the coast and we must constantly work at keeping Oriental in eyes of the public. If there is one problem it is a lack of sufficient housing for major events. Additional housing is certainly a possibility but to attract it we must keep the week to week occupancy of our current housing units running at or near capacity. That must be done by attracting visitors here for regular fishing, paddling, sailing and bicycling visits and then supplementing that with art, music, wedding, dragon boating, sailing, etc. events that bring even more guests to Oriental. We must also remember that we have only one “highway” where people just passing through the area might be encouraged to stop and visit Oriental. That “highway” is the Intracoastal Waterway(ICW). We must do a better job of advertising the town as a great place to stop and visit. We are well thought of by regulars on the route. We must continue to communicate our value to new travelers.

Barbara Venturi: The town needs “Traffic” to insure sustainability. Another way to spell traffic is “tourism”. We need a constant stream of people, new people, to come here, look here, enjoy what we have to offer and possibly, a small percentage of them will consider relocating, enough to keep property values up.

The Tourism Board receives monies from the town’s Occupancy Tax each year. The Occupancy Tax, which is levied on hotel rooms and cottage rentals within the town, is a mere 3%. (Wrightsville Beach is 14%). Even so, that 3% tax brings in about $20,000 per year. Half goes to the Tourism Board to promote the town out there in the world (sustainability). The other half goes to the Harbor Waterfronts Fund, to provide the town with the means to maintain and sustain existing public waterfront facilities (town docks, dinghy docks, water views, new harbor restrooms, etc.).

Many of the current residents came to Oriental because of boating. Many, including myself, first found Oriental while cruising. And, the town is well known and well liked by many cruising boaters. The reality is that other towns have invested far more in attracting cruising boaters than has Oriental. We’ve got a new Town Dock that gave us up to four additional slips, free to boaters for a two night stay. The majority of boats currently in slips at Sea Harbor Marina originally came to Oriental and tied up at our town dock. Free dockage is a draw to boaters. Many of whom come back, and even buy slips locally.

But, cruising is dwindling. Fewer and fewer boaters are following that lifestyle, so, however attractive we are to that population, it is declining. We need to be scanning other horizons.

David White: Improving our existing assets and adding additional assets help draw more visitors to Oriental. We should also expand our focus to include activities in addition to sailing. As we have seen recently, many boaters have been using the Town’s and businesses’ facilities for fishing tournaments, drawing greater numbers to our community. Additionally, improving our existing water access areas for the public provides nicer places for families and visitors to have picnics or enjoy the water. Also, what the Town needs to continue doing is supporting activities that bring people to Oriental, and last weekend is a perfect example. The Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival and the Rotary Car Show provided great venues for drawing people to Oriental and numbers didn’t disappoint. The Town needs to do all it can to support the various requests by organizers of these types of events.

Sandy Winfrey: I like fishing tournaments…..they can draw big crowds and publicity if they’re done right

Gwendolyn Gibbs: More public advertising outside of Pamlico County.

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10. The ends of several streets in Oriental provide public access to the water. What’s your position on preserving the rights-of-way for public use at Wall, King, Neuse, Hodges and Church Streets?

Allen Price: I would be glad to discuss and listen to the different options. I have rarely seen anyone using the property on Wall, King, or Neuse Streets.

Larry Summers: I recently proposed purchasing park benches for several of the street ends. They are on order. For some that is the right answer. All have value to our community and can help our citizens enjoy more of our town water views and access. Unfortunately our newer neighborhoods do not have such street ends. We must preserve what we do have.

Barbara Venturi: All rights of way that serve the public interest should be preserved for public use, as the street ends mentioned in the question currently do.

If a right of way takes the public where it should be allowed to go, for instance to the water. Regardless of property ownership, the public’s interest in having access to the water would keep the right of way in place, such as we have on a number of streets that terminate at the river or some creeks.

Rights of way are not ownership of land. The land under a right of way is in essence “lent” to a town to provide for the public good. Most rights of way in town are roads. If the same person owned all the land the road serviced, that person could petition the State that it no longer served a public good, that the thoroughfare was not needed for public access in which case the land would revert to the owner. I find there is more misunderstanding about what a right-of-way is among the public than any other municipal concept. The town doesn’t “own” a right of way. So, if circumstances change and the public no longer needs it, you just can’t keep a right of way because you want to, the state has rules about such things. If a right of way no longer serves a public function, you can’t keep it. State law allows any resident directly served by a right of way that might be closed by a government the right to sue to have it reconsidered.

David White: All right-of-ways for public access should be preserved for the public to use whether for the ones mentioned above or other properties. These are valuable assets that the Town needs to keep and support. A better job needs to be done promoting and delineating these assets. Where possible, picnic tables, chairs, benches, etc. should be added and signs should be installed letting people know these properties are open to the public. The more we can do to support these areas, the better experiences the public will have.

Sandy Winfrey: They need to stay.

Gwendolyn Gibbs: I would love for these areas to be preserved so that all of our waterfronts are not entirely PRIVATE, these should be kept accessible, available to the public with appropriate signage.

Charlie Overcash: I am for preserving these right of ways.

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11. Hodges Street at the harbor floods often, and becomes impassable. The asphalt near the culverts shows signs of cracks. Should the Town be making plans to make Hodges Street higher?

Larry Summers: Hodges Street is both a major problem and opportunity. There has been some research and study about raising the street. This is also a Powell Bill Issue and it would be difficult to ever fund such a change. Several years ago we raised Main Street and that was successful. I suspect that raising Hodges Street would probably cost more than our entire annual budget. Unless we could find a way to get substantial state or federal funding for such a project our primary actions will have to be just maintaining what we have.

Barbara Venturi: Yes, at least a plan should be made.
The town gets approximately $40,000 dollars from the Powell Bill Funds (state funds for roads) each year. We have to do all our road work with that, or take money from savings to add to it.

Hodges street is another place with grant monies might be necessary and we should look into possible sources. Of course the NC/DOT would most likely be our source, but it might be an easier sell than the Bike Trail. The project would most likely involve CAMA and NC/DWQ (department of water quality) too.

I think the best thing to do with Hodges Street and make downtown more interesting would be to replace some of the lowest part of the road with a bridge so that the culvert could be removed. That would make drainage far better and open up the duck pond to kayak and small boats. I suggested this years ago, and still think it would add to the charm of the town, and it would finally get Hodges Street traffic to slow down. Then get the very lowest area (from Village Gallery driveway to the base of the new bridge) repaved to bring it up about six inches, similar to what was done between the two duck ponds about three years ago. (That road was always awash, and now, most nor’easters don’t get it wet now).

David White: Hodges Street has been flooding since I first came to Oriental in the early ‘90s. The Town has taken a look at the prospect of raising the street in past planning sessions, but it has not been a priority. The cost to raise the street will be very high and additional work needs to be done on the flow of water through the Duck Pond and beyond. With all the Town has on its plate, I am not in favor of raising Hodges Street at the present.

Sandy Winfrey: Making Hodges higher would be nice, but astronomically expensive. Right now, the best we can do is to keep patching. This is not a detriment that needs to be fixed now….there are more important issues that need to be addressed first.

Gwendolyn Gibbs: As a long range project as I am sure that this would be very costly.

Charlie Overcash: We can plan all we like, but the fact is, there is no money for
such a project. We cannot afford to maintain the streets we have now. We
have to do maintenance in bits and pieces. I am open to any avenues that
we can realistically achieve.

Allen Price: 
While it would be beneficial to the town to prevent flooding on Hodges Street, I do question the feasibility of raising the street due to the cost and effectiveness of doing so.   Also of concern is the impact raising the street might have on properties along Hodges Street.  If research has been done on this, I would be happy to listen and discuss our options.  

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The race for Oriental mayor is a one-woman show this year. Sally Truitt Belangia, manager of the First Citizens Bank is the only candidate in the running for Oriental mayor. This bid to be mayor of the town where she grew up is her first foray in to elected office. She would be Oriental’s first woman mayor. She was given the same questions as were the Town Commissioner candidates. Here are her responses:

1. Besides wanting to serve, why do you want to run for a seat on the Town Board? I love Oriental. My mother loved to tell the story of when I was 5 years old. People would ask, what would you like to be when you grow up and I said, “Mayor of Oriental.” Eula May Truitt Basnight was my dad’s aunt and she was the Town Clerk for years in Oriental. My dad’s uncle was Amie Lupton and he was the Mayor. I guess it runs in my family.

2. What is Oriental’s biggest challenge? Infrastructure.

3. What issue do you think is most overlooked? Water system.

4. What asset does Oriental have that deserves more attention? The waterfront and harbors.

5. What vote of the Board, or action of the Board, would you have done differently? None. What happened in the past is over.

6. What in your past or present career best prepares you for the Town Board? I have worked with the public all my life and have been active in many community organizations.

7. The proposed bike pathway between the two parts of Oriental has been in the planning stages for years. Can it be accomplished? What would you do to cut thru the impasse? Yes, we must get the bike pathway done. Yes the town should help the committee with getting grants, etc.

8. With Town-n-Country grocery closing, Oriental will soon have an empty storefront right at the entrance to town on Hwy 55. What business would you want to see there? Can and/or should the Town take a role in that? I would like to see some type of retail store in the building.

9. Should Oriental do anything differently to encourage more tourists to visit? If so, what? Yes, we should always encourage tourism. I personally love welcoming people to Oriental and we have so many events I think we need to make a plan on how to market what we have. The tourism board works hard to make this happen.

10. The ends of several streets in Oriental provide public access to the water. What’s your position on preserving the rights-of-way for public use at Wall, King, Neuse, Hodges and Church Streets? Yes to preserving the rights-of-way for public use.

11.Hodges Street at the harbor floods often, and becomes impassable. The asphalt near the culverts shows signs of cracks. Should the Town be making plans to make Hodges Street higher? I have lived all my life in Oriental with the floods water on Hodges St. Would have to research about raising the Street.




Posted Monday October 26, 2015 by Melinda Penkava