To the Editor:

I have lived and worked in Bertie County my entire life. There is no place like home. To my sorrow, the past few years have been difficult ones for all people, rich or poor. Therefore, I feel the need to write my first letter to the editor, expressing my feelings of what has become a trend in Bertie County.

Most, if not all, of our elected County Commissioners have let us down. People sometimes forget what they were supposed to have learned in the first grade, treat others as you would like to be treated. Do not perceive this as, you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours. Sometimes the scratching gets a tad out of hand.

Our representatives need to take a look in the mirror and have a one on one conversation. Am I doing what I was elected to do? Once that happens and they do not see a need for change, then we need to have what I call a “pow wow”.

Commissioners need to understand they were elected to represent the wishes and concerns of their voters. The manager of the county listens to those behind the long desk and uses his skills to enforce correctly those orders to the best interest of the county. Somewhere along the way, there has been a little, no, a great deal, of confusion. The time has come to get it together.

Dictatorship has never had a place in our country. Saddam Hussein no longer exists. Never in the history of the U.S. has a “Bully” lasted for a long period of time. I myself, have never tolerated nor liked a “Bully”, no one does. Therefore, the time has come to make sure the intimidation ends.

To add to that, I would like to ask, until we have answers as to why our commissioners and leaders have not responded to our concerns, do not give ridiculous amounts of money to anyone, for any job, beyond the average amount of a county compared to ours.

Please do not perceive this as a threat or harassment. I love Bertie County and most of the people in it, as many of you already know. Follow your heart, listen to your friends, believe that we can live in a better, more prosperous time, and life will improve. It takes less energy to smile than to frown. Give the people of Bertie County something to smile about and we will flourish.

Tim Phelps

Windsor