Commissioners vote 4-1 to hang photos

By Lisa Majors-Duff

By a vote of 4-1, Jackson County commissioners agreed last Thursday (Sept. 5) to hang in the Justice Center's Courtroom One portraits of Marcellus Buchanan, former district attorney; Glenn Hughes, former county register of deeds; David Hall, former U.S. congressman; E.P. Stillwell, former local attorney; and Dan Allison, former county clerk of court and a member of the N.C. House of Representatives.

When county employees moved from offices in the historic courthouse in 1994, the photos apparently went with them to the Justice Center, where they were placed in storage. An interior decorator was hired and a decision was made to keep photos at the Justice Center uniform, though commission minutes from that time show no action was taken, said Chairman Jay Denton.

Not long after the move, Linda Collins of Atlanta, Hughes's daughter, began an effort to have her father's photo hung in the Justice Center. Receiving no satisfaction after several years of correspondences and personal pleas, Collins addressed commissioners with her request last month, indicating relatives of the other four men were also interested in seeing the photos hung at the Justice Center.

Accompanied by her husband, brother and mother, Chris Mathison, Buchanan's daughter, spoke to commissioners last week about her father, who she called "a legend in Jackson County and in the state of North Carolina."

The portrait of her father, she said, was purchased by the citizens of Jackson County and hung in the courtroom at the old courthouse as a show of respect for the former district attorney.

"Daddy lived in the courtroom," Mathison said. "The people who visit the courtroom today... should see Daddy's portrait. I feel very strongly that the right thing needs to be done."

Commissioner Conrad Burrell said he agreed with what both women said about their fathers, but that the photos "should be in the appropriate places." "I have a problem with hanging (the photos) in the courtroom," Commissioner Roberta Crawford said. "What are we going to do when we have additional requests?"

After the vote, during which Crawford cast the single "no," county attorney Raymond Large suggested the board develop a policy to address Crawford's concerns. No additional action was taken.

In other business Sept. 5:

- Board members agreed to allow county Manager Ken Westmoreland to work with representatives of the Jackson County United Fund to establish a more organized means for county employees to contribute. A payroll deduction plan will be developed so employees who choose may give a portion of their pay to the United Fund, a 33-year-old local charity that supports some 28 area non-profits, including Jackson County 4-H, Boy and Girl Scouts of America and Jackson Transit.

- Chairman Denton reported that he'd received a letter indicating reimbursements being held by Gov. Mike Easley will not be returned to the state's 100 counties, including Jackson.

State reimbursements totaled $627,360, said finance officer Darlene Fox, who had expected to make up the deficit with funds collected from an additional half-cent sales tax approved by the state Legislature. But legislators declined to give the sales tax money to the counties in August.

Should the General Assembly vote to give the counties the additional sales tax money in January, the county will need to make up about $61,000, Fox said. If the money is not forthcoming until July, the county will need to make up the entire amount withheld, she said.

"But I don't think that is going to happen," said Fox. "I think (the Legislature) is going to have to give us that money."

- Commissioners agreed to write a letter of support for a grant proposal being written by Community Health Link Director Lorna Barnett. Should her efforts be successful, grant funds would be used to create the Community Health Access Network, a free health care service for adults who have incomes at or below 150 percent of federal poverty guidelines.

According to Barnett, about 4,000 county residents fall into this category. These people often delay seeking medical treatment until they reach a crisis point, at which time they end up in the emergency room, "the most expensive form of health care available."

Community Health Access Network has received the support of 100 percent of Jackson County physicians and pharmacists, who will donate their time to the program, Barnett said.

- Parker Excavating was awarded a $75,815 contract to close the construction and demolition section of the old county landfill near Dillsboro. Work on the former C&D collection site, which was closed in April, should take about 30 days to complete, Westmoreland said.

Back to Archive: 09/12/02.