Hoke GOP BLAST MAY 12,
NEXT MEETING MAY 20, 2021, PK’s Grill Raeford Airport, 155 Airport Rd. Raeford, NC 28376 at 7:00 p.m.
NATIONAL POLICE WEEK – THIS WEEK!!
WE THE HOKE REPUBLICAN PARTY DEMAND our Law Enforcement Officers be paid a fair wage compatible to counties surrounding us to help our Sheriff from losing deputies and detectives. It’s about PRIORITIES for our Citizens and sometimes you have to give up the Splash Pads and Swimming Pools and help keep our community SAFE! No More Pools Over Policing!
COME JOIN US on this National Police Week Thursday from 11am to 2pm at Hwy 55 Burgers Shakes and Fries, 380 Laurinburg Rd (Across from High School) Raeford, NC. TO HONOR OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS!
FREE Andy’s Burger, Fries and Drink for any Hoke County Sheriff Department and Raeford Police Department law enforcement officer and their family!
Let’s SHOW THEM how much we care!
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FROM THE CHAIRMAN – David Frump
As you all know our state GOP convention convenes in Greenville June 4-6. We had an impressive number of people sign up for the convention and had nine at the district convention. It was a great experience.
The state convention is a wonderful opportunity to meet and see other party supporters as well as get the inside story on what is happening in our country. There will be several interesting speakers. I know many of you cannot invest the time for the full convention, but Saturday is the important day. In the afternoon session we elect the state party leaders and adopt the platform and resolutions. It is a great time to have your voice heard and also put Hoke County in the state parties awareness. Provided below is the related website to get you there. I’m genuinely looking forward to seeing you at convention. One note. There is no onsite registration. you must register online. Click on REGISTRATION and HOTELS at the website. http://convention.nc.gop
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FROM THE VICE CHAIR – Chris Holland ( Who is tracking the County Commissioner Board ) Here are his notes from May 3 Commissioner Meeting and Called Meeting May 11 to discuss the crisis of losing deputies in the Sheriff’s Office. THEY ARE TALKING INCREASING TAXES!!
ALCON,
The County Commissioners called a special meeting on May 11th to discuss a budget supplemental to the Sheriff’s budget. Sheriff Peterkin had addressed the Board on May 3rd and expressed a concern that the county was in dire straits and moving towards a crisis due to deputy resignations. We currently have 14 vacancies between patrol deputies and detectives, and the Sheriff suspects that he will be losing another five deputies by July. Peterkin stated that if these losses occur, the department will be down to two patrol deputies per shift to cover the entire county. I’m not sure of the time frame, but I think he referred to Jan-current that the department had responded to over 100k 9-11 calls. The current situation is unsustainable, and the Sheriff is worried that public safety will suffer in the near term.
The Sheriff asked the board to address the situation by providing additional funds to retain/hire deputies.
The current payroll budget for the Sheriff’s department is 444k. The Sheriff’s proposal to the board was for an increase of 104k, including bringing the base salary for a deputy up from 35,500 to 40,000 and providing a 15% pay increase for current employees. This increase will bring the payroll budget up to $549,051. In comparison, Raeford PD’s base salary for Officers is $38,000. Currently, all county employees receive a 2.5% raise in addition to a COLA increase annually.
An alternative proposal was to provide a retention bonus to try and stop the outflow. Commissioner Leach suggested a one-time 3-5k payment in exchange for the deputies to stay on until July 1st when the board will consider additional compensation increases in the annual budget. I could get behind a retention bonus, but to do that, we would have to demand at least a 12-month commitment, not six weeks, as Leach suggests. Grady Hunt, the county lawyer, stated that the county could legally require a set time of retention if the payment were conditioned on remaining in the department. I noticed that he timidly made his remarks, which indicates that the county might not legally hold a deputy accountable if they took the bonus and then, in turn, left anyway. That is something that would need to be worked out and might be accomplished with a contract that stipulates that any bonus would be prorated and repaid for the period of service that the deputy didn’t stay.
Commissioner Southerland expressed that public safety was a priority and was ready to vote right away for the increase. He went on into a campaign speech for the benefit of the camera, and while his remarks were correct, his presentation reeked of campaign theater.
Commissioner Thomas was hesitant to vote for any pay increase without first looking at the effect on the overall budget. He took offense when Sheriff Peterkin insinuated that deputies were more critical than other county employees. Commissioner Thomas remarked that along with the planned construction (courthouse and Rec center), he foresees a tax increase to pay for it all.
Commissioner Hunt was also concerned that significantly increasing a deputy’s pay over other county employees might be perceived as unfair. He proposed a 5% increase if it does not raise taxes. (He also fell asleep several times during the meeting)
Commissioner Baldwin sat through the entire meeting without commenting.
The board’s conclusion: Directed the County Manager to prioritize the pay increase when crunching the numbers on the Sheriff’s department and look for line items that could be deleted/delayed paying for the pay increase. The direction also included working the numbers to ensure that the resulting increase would not require a tax increase.
We’ll see how it shakes out, but I agree with Commissioner Thomas that we will see a tax increase unless significant cuts in future planned projects.
I’ve linked the video of the proceedings. It is an interesting watch, the meeting became heated at times, and you can observe the Commissioners / Sheriff’s reactions.
Let me know if you have any questions on anything covered.
Chris
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Additionally, other Republican citizens reported that the county is starting to charge double to hook up to county water. Some of the commissioners joke and laugh about meetings and deals they are working on but we feel is it no joking matter when dealing with taxpayer dollars. The County Credit Score seems to be taking a hit. The new Aquatic Center is starting to cost WAY MORE than projected, estimated $500,000 a year just to maintain it. Sheriff Department “estimated” they needed $400,000 to get better salaries. WHERE DOES IT END!! Manage Your Money better and it’s about PRIORITIES!!
Schools, Roads, Trash, Law Enforcement, Gambling Places, Infrastructure, Fire Departments, Commercial Growth,
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CRITICAL RACE THEORY (We are seeking folks to help attend School Board meetings and find out where Hoke County stands on Critical Race Theory and what textbooks they are using and what curriculum is being planned for next year.) If you can help, let us know! Here’s a little from our Congressman Dan Bishop and our Lt Governor Mark Robinson.
Congressman Dan Bishop posted this article on his Face Book page and said we need to understand this topic and where it is heading. I agree. It is long but I think you can get the gist of it by skimming it.
Explainer Article on Critical Race Theory and Marxism
And, another warning about Critical Race Theory from the Federalist
The Federalist on Critical Race Theory and Communism
From our Lt. Governor, a means to report political indoctrination in the classroom:
Lt. Governor Mark Robinson FACT page
Marxism, communism or socialism leading to communism, not matter what you call it, is not the American way.
Here is an excerpt from a sermon by Martin Luther King, Jr. on Aug. 9, 1953:
“In the second place the methods of communism are diametrically opposed to Christianity. Since for the Communist there is no Divine government, no absolute moral order, there are no fixed, immutable principles. Force, violence, murder, and lying are all justifiable means to the millennial end. Said Lenin, “we must be ready to employ tricking, deceit, and lawbreaking, withholding and concealing truth.” That the followers of Lenin have been willing to act upon his instructions is a matter of history.
In the third place, the end of communism is the state. I shall qualify this by saying that the state in Communist theory is a temporary reality which is to be eliminated when the classless society emerges. But it is true that the state is the end while it lasts. Man becomes only a means to that end. And if any man’s so-called rights or liberties stand in the way of that end, they are simply swept aside. His liberties of press or pulpit expression, his freedom to vote, his freedom to listen to what news he likes or to choose his books and even his friendships are all restricted. Man has to be a servant, dutiful and submissive, of the State, and the state is omnipotent and supreme.”
We have seen this story before, those of us who know history. If we are not careful, if we do not speak up, it can happen again and in the United States. Write to elected officials, letters to the editor and speak with friends and neighbors and urge them to also reject this anti-American trap.
We cannot be the Silent Majority any longer!
BALLOT HARVESTING IN HOKE
Guilty Democrat Ballot Harvesters Get Feather Convictions – Voter Integrity Project
Hoke GOP
FACEBOOK: Hoke County GOP
