Sometimes you just can’t stay silent

There are some people who might avoid the discussion we are about to have with you.

They would worry about being called racist, bigoted or being accused of a political correctness violation.

They would rather sit back and shake their heads and hope that somewhere out there, you are seeing what is happening, listening to the outrageous and, frankly, dangerous, statements and realizing what is going on.

They would hope that those ridiculous statements and the offensive rhetoric would send you running to the voting booth.

But we can’t take that risk.

What is happening right now in Goldsboro is too important, and we want to make sure you hear it and know exactly what we think.

Before we start, we implore you to watch the video of what transpired at the Sept. 23 Goldsboro City Council meeting. You can find it on the city’s official Facebook page, so you don’t have to take our word for it. See it for yourself.

It was disgraceful.

What we are about to say has nothing to do with black, white, ethnicity or socioeconomic status. It’s about Goldsboro’s future, and why you need to pay close attention to the mayor and council races from now until polls close on Election Day.

And it is why you — and your neighbors — need to vote.

Mayoral candidate and council member Bevan Foster, council member Antonio Williams and several other candidates with a seemingly shared ideology have been spewing what can at best be called ill-informed, and at worst, incendiary, commentary about this city and its residents.

Mr. Foster is running a campaign based on race, pure and simple. He is promising to “take back” Goldsboro by mounting a black takeover of council and ensconcing himself as mayor.

And there would be no problem with such a campaign if it were based in reasoned facts and informed analysis of what makes Goldsboro tick and what will bring it into the future as a prosperous and thriving community.

But it isn’t about that. It is about revenge — about settling a score.

And that is why we wanted to talk to you now.

Racial division has been a problem in this city for generations. There are people on both sides whose interests have been in keeping that divide growing. Frankly, they are profiting from that unrest.

But they are the minority. The rest of the city and the county, while acknowledging the difference in experience and the struggles that have been inherent in the battle for civil rights, does not want a segregated community.

In fact, many of us interact day to day at work, in our neighborhoods and at school and community events without a thought about color.

We work on committees and boards together, and we join forces to make this community a better place, to help those who are struggling and to keep Wayne County strong.

We teach each others’ children and worship together on Sundays.

So, would it disturb you to know that one of the candidates for council — a woman who is active with an organization that works to help local children in need — was labeled unworthy of the black vote because she has “white friends?”

That is only a small taste of the garbage that is being dumped into the city races.

But what really concerns us about Mr. Foster is the fact that many of the statements he makes are not even close to factual — and he is basing his plan for Goldsboro on those uninformed opinions.

So, let’s review a few:

• Mr. Foster regularly makes statements about Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, recently saying that city policy has no bearing on the Pentagon’s decision to keep it here. Go ahead. Read that again. A sitting city council member and mayoral candidate actually said that. And if reading it didn’t send a chill up your spine, nothing will. The base brings in more than $500 million a year into this community. It is why there are thriving retail businesses and restaurants as well as hotels and higher property values in this community. Without it, our economy would crash. Also, to bandy around statements suggesting that the men and women who work at that base, and who serve this country, are not real members of this community because they are “guests” or “visitors” who weren’t born in Wayne County is something we feel sure the vast majority of residents disagree with wholeheartedly. The base does not take away from Goldsboro. It makes many of the improvements and possibilities, well, possible. To disrespect the investment made in this community, and to imply that it should be tossed away — or to suggest that this city government doesn’t have a massive impact on Washington’s decision to keep Team Seymour operating out of Goldsboro — demonstrates that Mr. Foster has zero knowledge of how this works.

• Mr. Foster has also targeted downtown Goldsboro development, which he infers is taking money away from the central attendance district neighborhoods. Again, another misstatement. What keeps families in Goldsboro from poverty, and helps them get out of it, are jobs. Period. A thriving downtown that ends blight, turns dilapidated and empty properties into thriving enterprises, is what will get people back on their feet and able to afford better lives for their families. Again, Mr. Foster is dead wrong. 

• Mr. Foster has also begun what can only be seen as a shrill, and sometimes irrational, witch hunt against sitting Goldsboro Mayor Chuck Allen. His latest tantrum seems to be over city compost and a water contract with Case Farms. Foster’s critiques seem at best to be based on hearsay and at worst just pulled out of the air. If he wants to question Mayor Allen’s ethics, that’s fine. There is a place for that. But grandstanding in a city council meeting is not it. And just announcing the suggestion of impropriety — in a loud, exasperated, “gotcha” tone — does not make it a statement of fact.

• Mr. Foster also took on the city manager, a decorated Marine veteran, inferring, by quite literally yelling at the man, that he was improperly discharging his duties. He was absolutely incorrect, which the city manager politely told him. That did not stop another tirade. Again, watch the video — both of the council meeting and its pre-meeting work session. Ask yourself if the way Mr. Foster attacked Tim Salmon is any way to treat another human being?

All of those examples suggest that Bevan Foster is not suited to lead this community, mostly because he does not have the knowledge base — or the temperament — to do so.

But perhaps what is most disturbing is Mr. Foster’s comment at the last city council meeting that, “I understand that you’re scared. It’s a scary situation. You’re scared. There’s a possibility, you’re probably losing your seat. There’s a possibility that Goldsboro is changing forever.”

He directed the comment at fellow council member Gene Aycock, but it seemed meant for all those on the council and in city leadership who are white.

Enough.

This city does not belong to whites or blacks. It belongs to all the families who raise their children here and those who are working every day to make it a better community.

And yes, Mr. Foster, that includes blacks, whites and people of all backgrounds working together.

Mr. Foster’s statements are racist and they are dangerous.

And he should be called out on them.

But more importantly, he is using them as a platform that is not accompanied by fact — and making policy statements based on his ignorance.

And we would not be honest if we did not point out something else, too.

Mr. Foster gets very worked up when anyone mentions his past, which includes several felony convictions for drug offenses.

He claims he has done his time and should be allowed to move on.

Wrong. Not if he is running for public office.

Drugs endanger communities and children. So that means that these offenses were not small. And while it is great that he has turned his life around, he doesn’t get to avoid the question about those choices.

Questioning his background is not racist. It is what should happen when anyone says they want to represent this community.

And Mr. Foster is not the only concern.

Some of those running for city council — well, they are equally as ill-informed.

One candidate, Dr. David Craig, used the council’s public comment period to discuss claims made against Mr. Williams, serious accusations about his conduct that, unless you believe that everything that doesn’t go your way is a “conspiracy,” deserve serious consideration. Here is what he said:

“The view of many citizens … is that this is a ploy to pay Shycole Simpson-Carter for her silence for her taking part in a conspiracy to exact political retribution and removal of Councilman Williams from the Goldsboro City Council. If council members and/or other persons in their official capacity constructed and propagated a false narrative while using the alleged incidents, their behavior is tantamount to conspiracy and fraud.”

Let that sink in.

Do we really believe that Mrs. Simpson-Carter and the city created this whole ordeal with an end game of a lucrative settlement for the accuser and the removal of Mr. Williams from office? That would mean they:

• Falsified receipts and narratives produced by the city community relations director in the wake of the hurricane.

• Pressured members of the GATEWAY board to lie about Mr. Williams’ behavior at a board meeting.

• Forged a letter written by Williams demanding Mrs. Simpson-Carter be fired.

• Manufactured a false narrative about Mr. Williams’ interactions with Mrs. Simpson-Carter, subjecting her to ridicule and attacks from some black women who, at one board meeting, literally called her a “disgrace to black women everywhere.” 

What would Mayor Allen, and council members Gene Aycock, David Ham and Bill Broadaway stand to gain — particularly if Mr. Foster and Mr. Williams are correct in their assertion that the four always vote together and have an impenetrable majority?

The suggestion, frankly, is ridiculous — and irresponsible.

And, in this #MeToo era, it represents a slap in the face to every woman who has ever felt the sting of discrimination and to every victim of the wrath of a man in power, his race aside.

It is victim-shaming and sexist.

And it is a disturbing lack of judgment.

So, here’s the bottom line.

We have covered this government long enough to remember the epic policy battles between Mayor Allen and the Rev. Charles Williams. They weren’t always pretty, but they didn’t stop the men — or their colleagues on the council — from putting the interest of the city first and representing Goldsboro with dignity and class.

To argue that this election should be about race is to ignore men like Mayor Al King, who literally chased members of the Ku Klux Klan off his front lawn when he first came to Wayne County. He can be found, these days, enjoying daily conversations with people from all races who see him as one of the city’s most beloved public figures.

It’s dismissing the Rev. Williams and former Councilman Donnie Chatman, whose names can be found on plaques across downtown Goldsboro because they, in addition to fighting for their own neighborhoods, understood that a thriving downtown was essential to this city’s future.

It’s saying that council candidate and Continental Society president Hiawatha Jones and fellow candidate Taj Polack, a former firefighter and current Goldsboro High School teacher, don’t meet the criteria needed to gain the support of their fellow African Americans because they have called for unity amidst the race-baiting.

And, by the way, that is exactly what is being said in certain circles — that Mrs. Jones, a wonderful woman who has given much of her life to serving others, is dangerous because of her relationships with white citizens and that a vote by an African American against Mr. Williams is a crime against one’s own race.

The point here is simple. We are better than this — and we deserve better than this.

And you are the only ones who can make sure that this brand of politics doesn’t result in a victory this November or any November.

This is just the first of many more opinions we are going to have on the election.

We hope you will stay informed — and make sure your neighbors are, too.

It matters this time. A lot.

A Primary Election that includes District 1 and District 5 will be held Tuesday, October 8.

In our view, the following candidates have both the temperament and vision we believe will help move this community forward.

District 1: Hiawatha Jones, Zachary Lilly

District 5: David Ham

Early voting for the General Election begins October 16. More discussion on those races is coming. To check your status as a voter or to find your polling place, click here.