To the Editor:

According to Commissioner Gary Brinn, the town of Chocowinity has seceded from not only Beaufort County but the United States as well. The newly formed principality of Chocowinity has joined Canada and Mexico by signing the North American Free Trade Agreement. The new empire south of river has been rewarded as the site of a new jail facility for the surrounding country of Beaufort County. Commissioner Brinn’s reasoning in his Sunday column is a symptom of the continued disconnect between county citizens and the grand Pooh-Bahs entrusted with the best interests of all.

I don’t know whether a new Beaufort County jail facility is needed. That debate is for the citizens of the county to decide. I do know what Will Rogers once quipped: “All I know is what I read in the newspaper.” And what I read ain’t pretty. Commissioner Brinn is way off base with his Sunday column. “But this time it will be jobs sucked out of downtown Washington and headed to the new county seat of Chocowinity.” I guess the county Board of Commissioners believes their representation ends at the Washington city limits. Perhaps the time has come to divide the county into precincts and end limited voting. Perhaps it is time for a petition drive. Let’s get all residents a voice and tell the commissioners there is more to Beaufort County than their hometown.

Michael A. Herbert

Chocowinity