O'Neal: Time to end beacon legal dispute :rolleyes:

From: DailyAdvance.com

By: David Macaulay


http://tinyurl.com/evbq2

Could this long running dispute be coming to an end?

My best,
Paul Conlin
ALF Secretary

There is a way to end the dispute...The county could grow up and back off.

Judy, truer words were never spoken!

All my best,
Paul Conlin
ALF Secretary

One thing you have to say about Currituck County - with as much horse manure as is piled up down there, gardens should grow very well.

Interesting what their own paid consultant is now telling them:

It certainly would be a welcome change to have the commissioners come to grips with reality and realize they are not going to steal the lighthouse.

Maybe now that there is a "cooler" head speaking out, the problem will be resolved. I can't wait to see Currituck this summer!

It'll be nice to be able to drive over the Dare/Currituck border later this month and not have to slare (okay, and a little more...) at the sign saying "Welcome to Currituck County."

It's time. Seeing the figure of $97K in legal fees shows it's time to end. I don't think that they'd make that much even if OBC paid every last fine it's supposed to. Currituck County, even with all the multimillion dollar Corolla homes, probably isn't a rich county (aren't a lot of those second home/investment properties tax free? Not sure), and that amount of money could have gone to much better causes, especially on the mainland area.

I'd love it if, when we go down in August, this was all over with. I personally like the idea of buying carpark space. It's convenient, nearby, and, if the spots I'm thinking of are the ones that would be purchased, a little awkward for visiting any of the CHP sites.

Just get it over with, and let's all move on. Nobody's amused with the game anymore.

Greg,

Your over-optimisim is probably caused by the time you spend in the county of crooks. No doubt the plan that they would foist off on the light to "rent parking" would make parking in downtown Chicago or NYC look like a bargain. I think we can trust this group of people and their statements about as much we can trust a shark.

I will believe they have settlement as a priority when we see definite evidence of a reasonable compromise, not before.

Those going to the OBX in June, don't forget: SPEND NO MONEY IN CURRITUCK COUNTY EXCEPT AT THE LH GIFT SHOP unless they have settled. Since we can't vote the people out of office, our vote has to be one with our dollars. Choose not to support any Currituck merchant (mainland or OBX) until this whole mess is settled in OBC's favor.

Whatever. Call me what you want for vacationing in a "county of crooks," I'm not, and really can't change it. My parents aren't exactly going to find a whole new community because of the lighthouse issue - it's hard enough to get them to go to an NJLHS meeting, no less to change our entire vacation plans and lose a really nice house because of a lighthouse.

As also previously stated, I'm going to continue to "boycott the boycott" on Currituck County. As I've stated, I think it's a stupid idea. The people down there are a real community that works on stuff together, and if we actually "befriended" them in a shop and got a bit of support going, it'll cause a much, much larger effect than having a few dozen out of the hundreds of thousands of people that visit Corolla each year boycotting their shops, most of which are in a different county from where the owners live and vote anyway.

Sorry, but I think it's a stupid concept, and other avenues could get the desired result in a much better fashion. It's not like the maybe $300-600 (if that) they'd lose across the entire county from all the Wackos going down there in June (for example) is going to really effect their bottom line - it'd be just a few more customers that they'll make up with one or two big purchases by someone else. Never missed you.

Better to go in, shop around a store as long as you have time for, talk to the cashier (if they're not Russian, than they might be able to help - Russians and such are usually summer help that come over and then go back to Europe, so can't impact at all). Bring up how you're coming as part of a lighthouse group, and work it in about the lighthouse. Ask if they're aware and how they feel about it. Ask if they're doing something about it. It'll have a much bigger effect on them and us than a silly boycott that barely loses them anything.

Maybe then, we can get the people who actually can make an impact to start making an impact, and start fixing this stuff. Don't forget, Congressional elections are this year - that's one chance to knock out one pin, but only those who can vote there can help, and only our business can befriend them and get them on our side.

Just my thought on the subject. Sorry if I don't "fit in" with the general consensus all the time, but I express my opinions on these subjects, and these are what they are. Don't agree? Oh well. I'll respect your opinion if you'll respect mine.

Greg, when you are old enough to earn the money you choose not to spend, are old enough to register to vote and do actually vote, than you will maybe understand the mechanics a little better. You make my case for me - the clerks, especially the non-US resident / poor English speaking ones, couldn't care less if you chat them up all week long. What gets the attention of the shop owners / managers (the people who actually live in the county) is a hit to the bottom line. That's where "vote with your wallet" comes into play. I'm sure that the number of folks who enter the OBX portion of the county only to visit the light are a small percentage. However, sometimes you have to take a stand for something. This is one of those times.

My personal choice would be to surround the light and a nice number of parking spaces with federal troops and tell the bozos to go for it if they feel lucky. However, that is not the appropriate or practical way to go about encouraging the idiots to change their ways. The only way this will work out is for the actual residents of the county to take a stand and vote the current commissioners out of office if they don't stop wasting their taxes.

Something you probably have not taken into consideration is that the $97,000 in legal fees is just the cash out-of-pocket expenses. This is only the tip of the iceberg. All the other things the county has done to try and screw with the lighthouse has cost money out of some department's budget. All the wages paid to county employees to spend time harassing the lighthouse came out of someone's budget. These are all tax dollars, ones that I venture a guess could be much better spent actually serving the county and its residents.

Don't expect your family to change their plans. Just don't try and play both sides of the fence.

Thanks, Dave.

Sandy

Speaking of taxes, local governments get some money from Federal programs, so some of those tax dollars are in part from everyone on this forum who pay income tax.

Eh, whatever. I'm entitled to my opinion, and will enact it as such. If you want to boycott the county or whatever, go ahead. You're right - it's not my place to stop you. It might not make that much of an impact - or it might - but I'm realising that the solidarity aspect of it's the more important one.

In my mind and my logic, it's pointless. But it might help. It might have an effect. Even if it doesn't have a real economic effect on anyone, there's still this thread sitting here on the web, often subjected to high Google rankings. Maybe a shopkeeper or something will not have noticed any real bottom-line impact (as I said, it's a small fraction), but if they come upon our conversation, they could see what more they could have gotten. And maybe they'll realise how major an issue this is. And maybe that'll get support behind it.

I'm still going to spend my money in CC as regular. It'd be hard to spend a week there without doing so. I don't believe that changing my vacation plans is the best way to support, but I'll use other ways to drum up support if possible. If possible, I'm also planning a visit to the lighthouse - in addition to supporting it, I have some new vantage points for photos in my head.

So now I see it doesn't really matter whose way is the "right way." To me, economic support is "right." To others, economic denial is. The important thing is really that we all are behind the issue together, and all support it together. Maybe I don't support it the same manner as others, but I support it to the same magnitude.

And that's the important part.

I agree with you Dave and won't be spending any money except at the lighthouse gift shop, when there in June.
HCS

Boycotts have worked in the past and I support that until the matter is taken care of at the ballot box - which is the only way this issue will be resolved. If only the people of Currituck County care enough!

Like it or not, when you travel from Portsmouth to the Outer Banks, you are probably going to be in Currituck County for much of the drive in NC before you ever cross over the bridge to the Outer Banks.

That means, unless you've planned VERY carefully, you will stop for gas, or a cup of coffee, or maybe even a fast food burger in Currituck County.

Also, unless you wish to pay OBX prices at the gas pumps, you'll stop at a station on the mainland.

You will also need to watch the posted speeds as they go back and forth from 35mph to 55 to 20 to 50 to 35 to 55 to 20 to 50 to 35...etc. on the mainland. Otherwise, you'll also end up paying the county gov. like I did last fall.

In other words, boycotting the businesses of Currituck County is a good thought, but you might as well plan on not being able to adhere to it.

A boycott is also difficult for me because I have several friends who own businesses that are located in Corolla. However, now when I stay at the north end, I do make sure I'm renting in Dare County.

Very well put Dave, Very well put! Thank you.