Sometimes you just have to say it — out loud, without holding back and without a thought about fallout.
So, we are going to say it.
If you think that losing Seymour Johnson Air Force Base would not have a catastrophic impact on this community, you are delusional.
And if you think that there is no way this community can lose an Air Force base of this stature, and that having a fighter wing and a Reserve air refueling wing in our community means the U.S. Air Force would never consider divesting and moving on, you are just downright naïve.
If you think that the conditions in Wayne County Public Schools do not factor into any decision made about the future of the base, and that “expected growth” outweighs devastating news about scores and reading ability, you are also confused.
And if you think “progress” is enough for school scores and enrollments not to be a factor in determining whether a base stays or goes, you are fooling yourself — or incompetent, if it is your job to make sure students meet expectations.
What if we told you that there are members of the WCPS leadership team right now who are still throwing good money after bad (and to their “buddies”) trying to fix a problem that could be the death knell to progress in this community and refusing to face what is really wrong — and that another contract for one of those quick fixes was just signed to the tune of $450,000?
We’ll get to that trainwreck later.
But for now, let us remind you that there is a lot that can be said about what this community needs to continue to thrive — and that there are a lot of people who just don’t know where to start to fix what is obviously wrong.
But it starts right now with decisions — and you.
This is not a black or white issue. There are people in this community of all races and backgrounds who cannot stand to see what is going on.
Safety, a proper education for their children, a stable economy, crime, all of those are issues they care about. They know we aren’t on the right track, and they see the grifters and the bad leadership, too.
And it is time we all speak up.
This community can no longer afford the luxury of incompetence because we are too nice to point it out or too busy to vote it out.
And we also cannot afford to continue to hire and to promote — or to retain — someone just because they check a demographic, a political, or a fraternity brother/sorority sister box.
And we can’t worry about the fallout. We just can’t. Not this time.
There, we said it.
The problems that are occurring in many areas of this community did not just start last week. And they won’t be fixed in a week, either.
But if we want to make sure we are going to have a stable, economically powerful, and growing community to leave our children and grandchildren, sitting back and waiting are no longer options.
We must eject, fire, and un-elect the people who have been in charge of getting us to this place and to stop pretending like this will all work out as we watch leadership do the same things over and over again.
We cannot allow bullying to stop personnel actions that are necessary. We cannot allow favoritism and nepotism in hiring. And we cannot be afraid to say that someone is simply unable to perform their job because we are worried about social media backlash.
You might be asking yourself, “Where is this coming from?”
You might wonder why we chose this week to ring the alarm bell.
Read our story about the potential F-15E divestments coming down the pipe.
You see, there was something buried in the Department of Defense budget — a spending plan currently bouncing back and forth between the House of Representatives and Senate.
It seems the Air Force thinks it’s time to cut more than 100 F-15E Strike Eagles from its 218-jet fleet.
And should those aircraft come from Seymour Johnson, there would be no replacement — no new equipment coming in.
Do you know what that means? Do you really know?
That could spell the end of SJAFB in this community — and the billions of dollars in economic impact it brings.
Think about what a loss like that would do to the businesses and the property values in this community.
Goldsboro would become a ghost town.
And if you don’t believe that — if you think that statement is hyperbole — you are dead wrong.
Every leader in the county and state knows it.
Luckily, North Carolina Sen. Ted Budd took the time to read the budget.
Luckily, he saw the writing on the wall.
Luckily, he added an amendment to the DOD spending plan, one that would prohibit the Air Force from retiring Strike Eagles.
Why do you think he did that?
Because he understands that the future of one of his state’s most storied installations is at stake.
But even Budd doesn’t have control over what happens from here.
To make sure that the provision he added into the bill sticks and that SJAFB is protected, approval from the House of Representatives and the president are required.
We are not out of danger, not yet. And that means we have to be vigilant — to be loud and insistent.
And we better make sure our leaders in Congress know that they need to act quickly and decisively to make sure this does not go through.
Call them. Now.
And, while we are talking about it, there are state leaders — a governor and members of the General Assembly — who can impact this proposal by speaking up, too. We hope that our leadership team here in Wayne County is on the ball and talking about what steps are needed to protect Seymour Johnson.
If they are, they should share that information with the people who elected them.
We need to hear about the steps that are being taken and the challenges we face.
This is what you call a “wake-up call.”
And we need to heed it.
We would hope that when the Senate and House reconcile their competing budgets, the Air Force’s fleet of F-15Es will be intact.
But even if the Strike Eagle is, for now, spared, Air Force brass has made it clear that they believe it’s about time to look toward a future that depends on the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightening II, and F-15EX Eagle II for air superiority.
In other words, Seymour Johnson no longer has any “wiggle room.”
So, we cannot afford to make any more excuses for why Goldsboro’s 2021-22 audit is, once again, not done on time — or accept a “progress report.”
Not having our financial house in order has cost this community its bond rating and ability to borrow money.
If we do not have a finance officer who can do the job or a city manager who can make sure someone is in place who can, we need new personnel immediately.
We can’t sit back while the Goldsboro police chief tells the council his salaries are so low that he doesn’t have enough officers to fight an alarming uptick in gun violence and his boss, City Manager Tim Salmon, throws a temper tantrum at the mention of making those salaries competitive.
We can’t just hire more people to deal with an incompetent county officeholder who got into her post because no one took the potential challenge seriously or just took for granted “no one would vote for her anyway.”
We cannot sit back and just wait as she continues to spend money improperly, files frivolous lawsuits, and steers revenue to the Johnston County Register of Deeds Office.
And we can’t wait around for someone to have the guts to do something about it. And yes, we’re looking at you Mr. District Attorney.
We also cannot sit back and excuse away scores that are beyond disturbing from our local schools.
And we can’t pretend that Wayne School of the Technical Arts was anything less than demanded by SJAFB leaders because they were tired of sending military children to failing schools.
Ask anybody who knows how that school actually came to be.
It was the result of an ultimatum.
So no, there is no more time.
And if you think the good old boy, party-line voting is going to save this community, you better look long and hard at who voting straight ticket has put in positions of power in your community.
We need to get active, to speak up and to demand better — and we need to support those who are ready and willing to accept the challenge.
And that starts, this fall, with looking at every candidate for Goldsboro mayor and City Council and running the litmus test: Do they have what it takes to make the hard decisions — even when the political winds might not be in their favor or if the loudmouths on social media decide to play the cancel game?
If the answer is no, they need to go.
Make no mistake, Washington is watching.
So, if you want to hear those Strike Eagles flying and Wayne County thriving and growing and this community means something to you, it’s time to say it — loudly — with your voice and your vote.
