SUN JOURNAL LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Alderman Meeting

January 11, 2012
The greatest television show was on Channel 3 on Tuesday, the Board of Alderman meeting. The no-holds-barred with a full house was something that would make the Jerry Springer Show look tame.

The meeting went on as scheduled. I spoke during the open petitions on budget issues and drainage-ditch management.

Then gentlewoman Tracy Spellman spoke. Spellman was appointed to fill Alice Underhill’s seat on the Housing Authority Board of Commissioners. Spellman was on point with her questions as to why she was nominated, and then contacted by Mayor Lee Bettis to be not nominated. Spellman made several attempts to have Mayor Bettis give an answer, which Mayor Bettis tapped-danced around in his response like his grubstreet.ca interview.

Mayor Bettis broke his own protocol by having Spellman respond to her complaint.

Mayor Bettis than spoke about everything he has done like a job interview — lower electric rates and housing project fixing, which was totally dumb. Then the real battle royale went down like WWF wrestling. Alderman Victor Taylor made comments about Spellman’s appointment-that was nominated, and then it was not. There were words passed during the meeting from Taylor to Bettis over phone calls and lying due to nominations done with white, black, white, black references that were totally out of line.

Mayor Bettis called Alderman Taylor a liar. Which in turn Alderman Taylor has recorded phone calls by Mayor Bettis over the pro tempore appointments that they the alderman sat around and made a decision on who will be mayor pro tempore if Mayor Bettis is not present.


Out of all of this, Tracy Spellman was not given a positive response; sort of like the non response on grubstreet.ca. I was so disgusted that I told Mayor Bettis, “Mayor Bettis, you have some serious problems and it will be corrected in 2013.”

Oh yes in 2013 it will be corrected by the Mayoral Election. If this is business as usual from the usual suspects, alderman and the mayor, this is what was voted on to be better for the City of New Bern from Tom Bayliss. If in 2013 you want more of the same from Mayor Bettis, the native New Yorker born in California, then vote him in. However, after seeing this distasteful act by Mayor Bettis, I think we need a change for the better in 2013. Are you with me, citizens of New Bern? I believe you are.

Edwin Vargas, New Bern

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