On June 25th the N&R published an article (unposted - see NCLIVE) about the County's new Social Services building, Having been labeled as one of the "naysayers" in the recent baseball stadium debates, I was pleased to read that even those who raised opposition and questions about the land-swap deal between the County and DGR, LLC have buried the hatchet and are moving on.
County Commissioner Mary Rakestraw, who sits on the social services board, was one of the most vocal critics of the back-room deals that led to the land swap agreement. She was reported in the article as saying that even though a few kinks were still being ironed out, earlier accounts of employee/client criticism of the building has waned over time as everyone settles in. "No one's really whining or griping or anything. We're all trying to work everything out where we can." was the entire quote from the article.
But in a letter to the editor (scroll down) in yesterday's N&R, writer John Beaman Jr. shows that some folks just can't let go... and worse...
"... can we now have an apology from all the naysayers who spent months whining and denigrating the project? This is especially true of Mary Rakestraw who, in the article, continues her negative assessment.
How does it feel to be a lone voice in the wilderness, Mary? With this attitude, it is another reason I will not support her re-election on July 20...."
Characterizing Rakestraw's quoted comments as being a "negative assessment" is only intended to inflame District 7 voters who might not have read the actual quote, in other words... it is a lie Saying that Rakestraw was a "lone voice in the wilderness" is to deny that there was significant opposition to the land swap deal. Asking for "an apology from all the naysayers..." is akin to saying, "next time something like this comes up - shut the hell up - opposition and questioning makes things entirely too complicated."
Back in April, Beaman (who's wife works for Congressman Howard Coble) again demonstrated his disdain for the democratic process when he responded to Ed Cone's column suggesting that Congressman Coble could use some opposition in the upcoming Congressional race, sez Beaman:
" ...the Sixth District representative needs opposition? Why? A frequent complaint is we need opposition for "real democracy..."
Well, yeah, opposition is pretty important in a democracy Mr. Beaman. While I am a big supporter of both Howard Coble and Mary Rakestraw, Beaman's views on the role of political opposition is ... scary.
8:43:32 AM 
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