JACKSON – During Monday’s meeting, the Northampton County Board of Commissioners paused from their usual business to recognize and appreciate one of their own as they bid farewell to Commissioner R. Jennings White Jr. in light of his decision to discontinue his duties as representative for District 1.

On behalf of the Board, Chairwoman Virginia Spruill presented White with a plaque honoring him for his &uot;loyal and dedicated service to the county and its citizens&uot; and for his &uot;guidance and superb knowledge of local government&uot; under which the county has &uot;prospered and grown to great heights,&uot; according to the inscription.

&uot;He has served the citizens of Northampton County in many capacities,&uot; said Spruill, &uot;He is a very special person, friend and colleague and his knowledge and insight on the issues that come before the Board will be truly missed.&uot;

Taking an opportunity to address the Board, White offered thanks to God and the citizens of Northampton for allowing him to serve as a County Commissioner for the past 12 years and expressed &uot;mixed feelings&uot; at his departure from the Board.

&uot;You know it is hard to be fair and represent our citizens equally,&uot; he said. &uot;We have such a diverse mixture of people. We have affluent people and we have poor people, we have educated people and uneducated, we have employed and unemployed and when we make a decision, it usually affects more than one group of people.&uot;

He added that were it not for grants, there would be no way for citizens to pay enough taxes to fill in the gaps and commended the leadership of the Board.

&uot;We have an excellent Board, that I know is striving to make life better for our citizens,&uot; he said. &uot;We have a fine County Manager and devoted, competent Department Heads.&uot;

White also expressed his support for the man succeeding him, Rev. James Hester, calling him a &uot;man of God and a fair man,&uot; who he felt would be &uot;an asset&uot; to the Board.

&uot;I am happy and pleased to release the responsibility to my fine replacement,&uot; he said. &uot;I know you will continue striving to make things better for the citizens of Northampton County and I wish you all my very best.&uot;

In the meeting, the Board honored White’s request to continue serving as treasurer of Four-Rivers Resource Conservation and Development Council, a regional group serving Edgecombe, Granville, Halifax, Northampton, Vance and Warren counties of which White has been very active in participation.