Deno Hondros, in only 7½ months, is turning out to be quite an in-tune Fayetteville city councilman. “We had a good meeting, I felt, where we thanked them for supporting RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) and RAMP (Risk and Authorization Management Program) grants,” the 46-year-old councilman says of a final stop Tuesday with U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis and Tillis’ deputy chief of staff, Kyle Sanders, as Mayor Pro Tem Johnny Dawkins and the council attended the Congressional City Conference on March 26-28 in Washington, D.C. “We also asked for support for a direct flight to D.C. since we are the largest neighbor to the largest military installation in the world. We also discussed mental health, substance abuse, homeless vets and homelessness in general. Overall, I’d say it was a productive trip. We packed a week’s worth of meetings, workshops and conferences into three days. And I believe many of the relationships we made will pay dividends for years to come.” Hondros has made a few missteps in some votes, but the freshman councilman is engaged, conscientious and responsive to constituents in District 9 and the city at-large.
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“Mr. Kirby, in response to your article on the City Council’s D.C. trip,” Jose Rodriguez writes in an email about the City Council meeting with congressional leaders. “Doesn’t the city already pay lobbyists to do the what the City Council just wasted taxpayer time and money on? Looks to me like they’re trying to present an appearance of actually doing something.” Elected city leaders from all over the country attend the annual conference, Mr. Rodriquez, and had you been successful in your District 1 bid in November to unseat incumbent Kathy Keefe Jensen, I would think you would have made it to the conference, too, to express your requests and for bringing back funds to improve the city. For some council members, I’m not naïve enough to think the conference wasn’t something of a “road trip.” And from what I saw, the Marriott Marquis did have some salty accommodation pricing. I do know that Mayor Pro Tem Johnny Dawkins, District 9 Councilman Deno Hondros and District 1 Councilwoman Kathy Keefe Jensen worked hard on behalf of the city, and surely other council members, too.
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The city will release the cost for council members, as well as members of the Fayetteville-Cumberland Youth Council, to make the trip to Washington. “We are currently collecting all the receipts for all travel expenses and will let you know once the reimbursements are complete,” says Loren Bymer, director of marketing and communications for the city. “The registration was the same for each person. However, mode of transportation and hotel expense vary depending on the duration of the stay and mode of travel. We expect to have the total calculations and reimbursements complete in approximately seven to 10 days.”
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“You asked why the mayor was not in attendance,” Loren Bymer, director of marketing and communications for the city, says in an email about why Mayor Mitch Colvin did not join members of the City Council at the Congressional City Conference in Washington. “He attended the Mayors Conference in January and does not typically go to this particular conference.” The city news release, Mr. Bymer, should have said that in the first place, and then no one would have had to ask why the mayor did not attend the more recent conference.
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The once beleaguered town of Spring Lake that was cited for its lack of financial vigilance received welcome news Monday from the town’s finance officer and accounting and financial management adviser for the N.C. Department of the State Treasurer, who told the Board of Aldermen the town is back on stable footing. “The property tax will balance out, but everything is looking really good,” David Erwin told aldermen. “You have good balances in the bank, and it’s a big plus. All funds are strong. There is a big change in stability. … When staff started in July 2021, the town of Spring Lake’s financial foundation was broken. We have rebuilt it to a solid foundation.” Spring Lake residents should expect nothing less than professional, proper and responsible leadership from its mayor and aldermen. Apparently, Spring Lake is on the financial mend.
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“The board has the utmost confidence in the staff currently in place to handle the day-to-day operations of DistiNCtly Fayetteville and the board is available to them for guidance and direction as needed,” says Seth Benalt, chairman of the organization formerly known as the Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau. Interim President and Chief Executive Officer Randy Fiveash and the board parted ways in March. A search, according to Benalt, is underway to hire a fulltime president and CEO.
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A shooting death on March 26 along Gertrude Street has resulted in the ninth homicide in the city in 2023, according to a news release from the Fayetteville Police Department. Two other people were injured. Such a sad commentary when people can settle their differences only by pointing a gun at one another.
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Fourth-graders at VanStory Elementary School will join with the Cross Creek-Briarwood Garden Club to plant a tree in front of the school at 1 p.m. April 20 in observance of Arbor Day, according to Sybil West of the garden club. The tree is being donated by Green Biz.
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Aggravation is a sore throat that turns into a cold with a runny nose.
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Sarahgrace Snipes Mitchell told the City Council in June that 215,000 people attended the 2022 Fayetteville Dogwood Festival during its three-day run, so you might be wondering about parking for this year’s festival, scheduled for April 27-30 at Festival Park and throughout downtown. “I do not have any plans with parking other than special event parking, which is any city-owned parking lot,” Mitchell says. “It will be effective throughout the weekend. However, street parking is free after 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and throughout the weekend. The Woodpeckers (Minor League Baseball team) are home the week of the festival, so special event parking will be throughout the week.” The Can Do Coldwell Banker Trolley will be running during its scheduled times (4 to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday) during the Dogwood Festival,” says Bianca Shoneman, president and chief executive officer of Cool Spring Downtown District. “We will adjust the route to keep the trolley moving throughout the district, historic Haymount area and B-Street corridor.” With 200,000 festivalgoers, parking matters.
Bill Kirby Jr. can be reached at billkirby49@gmail.com or 910-624-1961.
