To the Editor,

Politics is a tough game. I am always shocked when representatives of the people decide to choose political deals over people’s welfare. As your readers know, the Town of Belhaven is fighting a valiant battle to save and now reopen our hospital. The fight is to save lives from needless deaths and the area’s economic future. One would think that the County Commissioners would be helping our efforts due to our area being in Beaufort County.

I want to provide your readers the inside scoop on the dynamics of that meeting last Monday night (May 4). First it is important to understand the deals. Gary Brinn and Ron Buzzeo came to Belhaven several times during the last election and promised the people of Belhaven they would support the hospital. I supported them and others did due to this fact. I had them at town meetings where we have them on video pledging to support the hospital. Ed Booth was called by several people asking him to support the hospital and he pledged support. The fact is these three men wouldn’t even second a motion for a vote on our need for a no interest loan guaranteed by the town to get our hospital back in the town’s possession. The truth is these men have in some way sold themselves out to Frankie Waters to oppose the hospital. Frankie Waters, from Pungo, is chairman of Tri County Telephone which is a Pantego Creek, LLC member. Frankie has made attempts to influence the Tri County Telephone vote on LLC matters to go against efforts to save the hospital, according to Tri County officials.

There have been excuses that the commissioners didn’t have enough information for a vote. We offered to meet with each of the seven commissioners before the meeting to answer questions. Jerry Langley told me there was no reason to meet because he was not voting for anything for Belhaven. Robert Belcher told me there was no reason for us to meet because there was nothing I could show him to make him support the hospital. When Frankie Waters was reached to for a meeting, he also said there was no reason to meet because he would not be supporting the hospital. Now remember these men have never sat with our experts to fully understand the dynamics of the hospital issue. They wouldn’t talk with us due to hearsay and gossip about the hospital. They didn’t want any facts to cloud their will not to support the hospital. I then met with Gary Brinn, Ed Booth and Ron Buzzeo. They were polite and we answered questions for which they would accept answers. They obviously had made some deal because we would answer a question and they would look at us as though we didn’t speak.

An example would be Gary Brinn saying he wanted to know the will of the people of Belhaven. I told him there would be a crowd at the meeting and I had a petition of 6,500 signatures. He asked me if the town was behind the effort to save the hospital. Could he be that out of touch? Ron Buzzeo asked for more financial information. We had already emailed him prior to the meeting, the feasibility study used by the USDA. This feasibility study is used by USDA to base decisions on loans of millions of dollars, but it wasn’t enough for Ron.

At the meeting (May 4) I had all our consultants and advisors at the meeting to answer questions: Dr. Lejon Poole, director of the Rural Healthcare Management Program at Campbell University; David Byrnes, Frontier Hospitals; Dr. Norris Gumby of Poole and Associates; Dahmian Blue, our attorney for eminent domain and lawsuits with Vidant and Pantego Creek, LLC; and town attorney Wendell Hutchins. The county commissioners now saying they didn’t have enough information didn’t ask these men a single question at the meeting. The lack of information complaint was just another excuse to cover the deal. Hood Richardson was the only commissioner that said he supported our area’s efforts and then kept his word.

Lastly, they said they aren’t in the business of loaning money to municipalities. The government loans money all the time for projects to improve communities and also offers grants. They even turned down our Building Reuse Grant with the Department of Commerce. I guess it makes sense to agree for a grant like this concerning a machine shop, but not a hospital that saves lives and creates 55 jobs. The fact is, political deals are more important to this county commission than the welfare of our people or economy in the Belhaven area.

 

Adam O’Neal

Mayor of Belhaven