08/09/2025
WE OWE GEORGETOWN
I. City Limits
a. Pre-clearance: The Justice Department would not allow Jacksonville to expand the population, which changes the eligible voters, without checking with Black leaders. Jacksonville wanted to annex Camp Lejeune without annexing Georgetown and Picket Town. They did not want to spend money on these Black communities to improve roads and utilities. I would not support annexation unless it included Georgetown and Picket Town. Jacksonville agreed to annex Georgetown and Picket Town.
b. Attractive Demographics: With annexation, Jacksonville doubled in population. The result is that investors. e.g., all of the restaurant franchises that we have now, flooded Jacksonville. Look at all of the enhanced revenue! We owe Georgetown and Picket Town for this.
II. Dr. Hunter
a. He was from our community; the Devane family sold him the property approving his desires.
b. Our developers had not been treated fairly
1. Johnny Ashe was mistreated, and Tommy Pollard was allowed to breach the contract and increase utility charges.
2. Western Boulevard: Dr. Buffong did not benefit from his investment like other speculators.
c. Amenities from Dr. Hunter
1. Stimulate affordable housing
2. Urgent care clinic
3. Justify major roads
III. There was plan
a. Waterfront access
b. Partnership with Georgetown Alumni Association
1. Trent River Oakey Grove gave land with a reversion clause activated by school closure.
2. Onslow County refused to return property but promised a library/museum.
3. It was my strategy to repay the alumni association for the Trent River loss.
4. The City paid about $80.000 for the old Georgetown recreation center to be renovated.
5. Another Georgetown group was jealous of the Georgetown Alumni Association deal, and demanded the old recreation center. The Alumni Association gave the property to the other group. The other group failed to maintain the property and it was demolished.
6. The City budgeted $125,000 to buy the property of the Fats Brown estate so that the Georgetown Alumni Association could provide cultural and recreation services out of a building the Alumni Association would build on the waterfront property.
7. A Georgetown resident unhappy with the arrangement persuaded a private party to buy the land. George Howard bought the property. The Georgetown resident got a cut.
8. Unable to move forward, the City moved the $125,000 to the Jacksonville Landing project which is a beautiful boat ramp parking area now.
IV. Laguna Bay
a. Laguna Bay was landlocked. There was no way for Bill Terrell to build.
b. I negotiated a street easement so that Laguna Bay could be developed.
c. However, Bill Terrell needed a second easement. I suggested that in exchange for the water/sewer easement, Trent River would require a road behind the church which would straighten out Georgetown Road.
d. Trent River did not require the new road. I was no longer involved.
V. Overall Plan
a. The city is not going to build a mile road for one house.
b. Only the increased population was going to drive infrastructure investment. However, the City can lead by investing in recreation and amenities just like Riverwalk Crossing downtown. The project with the Georgetown Alumni Association was a comparable project.
c. I was going to leverage the 3 million Community Development had to do sidewalks and infrastructure.
d. The Hunter project was approved because a majority of the Georgetown community supported it. We had meetings with the Georgetown Community. I proposed new roads and alternative ways out of Georgetown.
VI. City Hall presentation by concerned Georgetown families.
a. Impressive
b. The focus was on requiring the developer to do things that the City could not dictate.
c. I would have insisted on requirements that the City can require; namely, waterfront access. Unlike Downtown and other Jacksonville neighborhoods, there is no public New River waterfront access in Georgetown!
1. Every developer has to provide for the recreational needs of their subdivision.
2. However, the improvements cannot be restricted to the members of that subdivision.
3. The developer can give money or “in kind.” Therefore, a waterfront recreational area should have been negotiated.
VII. After 8 years, Brian Jackson has had no plan for Georgetown, so he makes protest votes. He has not asked about the history. He knows nothing about the aforementioned history because, from his own words, he left Jacksonville because it had little to offer him. I have always been a resident of Jacksonville, paying NC taxes. I went to college to learn how to save and change my Jacksonville community. I returned to apply the W.E.B Dubois “Talented Tenth theory.” He was missing for the fight for a fair election system; he was missing for the fight of fair community policing; and he was missing for the fight for affordable housing in Country Club (near New River). I stayed to fight for the change I wanted to see. I have the battle scars to prove it, but it has all been worthwhile.
Send a message to learn more
