Picerno Returns as Commissioners Chairman

As of Wednesday, December 5, 2012

By JOHN LENTZ

Staff Writer

Voters last month overwhelmingly put Nick Picerno back on to the Moore County Board of Commissioners. Monday night, his colleagues showed similar faith and returned him to the chairman's post.

Picerno will serve a third term as chairman after fellow commissioner Jimmy Melton begged off the post.

Outgoing chairman Larry Caddell nominated outgoing vice-chairman Melton for the job, but Melton asked the board to reconsider.

"I appreciate my name being put in, but I have some heavy business commitments in the coming year and wish that the board would withdraw my name," Melton said.

Caddell complied, and Melton then put forth Picerno's name. It passed unanimously. Craig Kennedy will serve as vice chairman.

"The third time's a charm," Picerno said. "I am really excited, and we're going to get a lot of things done. Our newest commissioner, Randy Saunders, is enthusiastic. He's already jumped right in, and I think this board will be accomplishing some great things."

Besides installing new officers, the commissioners also welcomed and swore in Saunders, who replaces Tim Lea. Lea, who served eight years as a commissioner, chose not to seek re-election.

Following a 45-minute reception for the new commissioner and new board officers, the commissioners heard several items of business, including a change order to correct portions of a faulty roof at the new public safety and detention center in Carthage.

"Roof inspectors found a problem with some of the roof panels on the metal seam roof of the Rick Rhyne Public Safety Center building," said Moore County Property Management Director Rich Smith. "Temperatures can make this type of roof expand five or six inches in certain conditions, but it was something that the workers didn't account for. We were going to have to remove or replace the roof where inspectors said the roof conditions didn't comply, but (contractors) the D.H. Griffin Construction Company stepped in and said they were replacing the entire roof."

The change order states that the repairs would not cost the county anything extra. It should be installed by March 1.

Two additional issues regarding the public safety center that are covered under the change order will also be addressed. These include the completion of landscaping and the replacement of security equipment that was damaged "due to an inadvertent water leak."

"A worker removed a sprinkler head and it soaked a piece of sophisticated equipment that was to be used to open and close cell doors," Smith said. "That will be removed and replaced as well."

Smith said that he was pleased with the "overall outcome" of the project.

"If I may say so, we did very well," he said. "Three problems in a 143,000-square-foot facility is not bad. The problems consist of a series of small issues in a very large space."

Commissioners approved the changes unanimously. Caddell described the building as a "beautiful facility."

"I thank the D.H. Griffin company for their work, and I want to say thanks to you, Rich Smith, for all that you have done. The county got a lot more for its dollar when they hired you."

Caddell's words were followed by applause from county staff members.

Saunders seconded Caddell's assessment of the new safety center.

"I've been there two times, with Rich, and the comparison to the old facility is like night and day. They've done a tremendous job, and I'm sure the staff is excited to move in."

Following the regular meeting, the board met privately to discuss a replacement for the late Jim Westbrook, who had served for less than a week as the county's interim manager before dying in an automobile accident last Tuesday. A replacement was not chosen during the closed meeting.

Contact John Lentz at (910) 693-2479 or jlentz@the pilot.com.

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Toda 5 months, 2 weeks ago

"Voters last month overwhelmingly put Nick Picerno back on to the Moore County Board of Commissioners."

At the last count there are 64,302 registered voters in Poorer County Picerno vs Marcus 44,421 votes were cast;

Total voter turnout was 46,348 meaning that 17,954 didn't vote who was registered. So if we take the number of voters who voted ~ minus 16,291 who voted for Marcus, there were 1.927 voters who cast their votes but not for Chairman Picerno.

Not 100% support from voters on his profile as commissioner. Think about it!

Toda 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Moving right along ... the board meets behind closed doors to install a new county manager on Monday, December 10th. It's supposed to be a personnel matter ((wink-wink))

doughnuts 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Great choice. Nick will do a great job. That's why "I" voted for him!

madmama 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Toda...get a life! A person that is ALWAYS on this blog criticizing others must not have much of a life...definitely must not be contributing much to society. I don't think you have much room to talk about anyone! There is much that could be said about you if one wanted to be mean and vengeful!

Toda 5 months, 2 weeks ago

madmama ~ What makes you think I don't have a life? Obviously you don't know me ....

What you refer to as criticizing, I call factual information. What do you offer to societal development or community development?

". I don't think you have much room to talk about anyone!" What has posting numbers have anything to do with talking about someone? Are you really that dense?

"There is much that could be said about you if one wanted to be mean and vengeful!" Go for sugar, I have a tough skin and remember I carried 16% of the vote in 2 counties and spent $207.00! How much did it cost Chairman Picerno to run his campaign?

So what do you mean by "mean and vengeful" ... stating facts isn't mean or vengeful.

Aw go ahead and throw your stones, and like I said a couple of years ago, the facts will bring to light the in-competencies of egotistical politicians to the light of day.

Toda 5 months, 2 weeks ago

One can't help but wonder why certain employees are and have received $10,000. salary increases in this economy. A board that claims to be conservative, over $30,000. in raises since June for the selected trio.

The board in on another cash flow liquidation initiative once again, and it's not year end yet!

Wonder why the rest of the county employees didn't get a cost of living increase? Could bonding for more expenditures have anything to do with employee wage increases?

aggou 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Toda, your first post was laughable. I'm sorry, but because 100% of voters didn't vote, that proves Picerno would have lost, is what you're basically saying? I mean, let's look at 2008. President Obama won convincingly, by 7%. Most people would agree with me, in saying that he was elected overwhelmingly, even though we didn't have 100% voter turnout.

The thing that you don't seem to get, is that those 17k voters who didn't turn out, evenly reflect what happened with the 46k who did turn out. I.e. Picerno would have received the same %, with those extra 17k voting, that he did, without them. It's not like there were 17k extra Democrats out there who didn't vote or something. They were Republicans, Democrats and independents.

So yes, he was overwhelmingly reelected, because he got 63% of the vote. That is a big win, you can't spin it any other way. FYI, Obama's landslide win in 2008 was only with 53%.

Toda 5 months, 2 weeks ago

aggou => you are laughable since I nor no one else mentioned Presidential elections.

And no ~ I referenced the fact that there are at last count 64,302 registered voters in Poorer County Picerno vs Marcus 44,421 votes were cast. Where's the implication or inference that if all 64K had voted Chairman Picerno would have been defeated? Adlibbing no less like other no-names with elementary education.

My point was that 1,927 people who actually voted in the general election, didn't vote for Marcus or Picerno. Those voters represent one segment of our population who were challenged to vote for Mr. Picerno based on their own reasons.

You like so many on these blogs have an incompetent reading comprehension and ability to understand information. Sandhills has a GED course you may want to look into for advancing your education and reading comprehension.

cooldaddy 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Great Choice for MOORE County!!!

emb6683 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Just curious, and not a criticism, but does the Chariman's position really take that much more time and committment than the 'regular' commissioner?

madmama 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Toda-All we hear is blah, blah, blah...jealous much? Get on with life and let it go already. Nick was picked! Thank goodness!

Toda 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Wow ~ Mamma is Mad ... about posting numbers and her or his vocabulary becomes juvenile.

jealous much? ~ Hummm, make me guess about what? Politics perhaps? No could care less.

"Get on with life and let it go already." O' I am and as I've said many times before, "let the light from the Sunshine Law - Shine". I have no intention of letting the board have a pass on questionable behaviors that for the pass few years have been unethical in my opinion...

The covert meetings at Southern Software, Inc a building that is still owned by Mr. Picerno, and is frequented by him for lunch meetings is still on the table like cooked goose.

The problem with politics in this county everyone wants to go along to get along...not I; if their behaviors are in question, I shall point out those behaviors. And the list is long.

Toda 5 months, 2 weeks ago

"Caddell described the building as a "beautiful facility."

And expensive enough to delay start of the new Judicial Center for the packed Clerk of Courts office personnel.

Wasn't that project part of the initial plan? Or was the revenue stream too weak for a bond rating to purchase more land like the Kirby property next to the Board of Elections?

Something to look into for an article in The Pilot.

Toda 5 months, 2 weeks ago

emb6683 => Commissioner Melton has never chaired the board of commissioners. Larry Caddell laid the framework for Comm Melton to conduct meetings while he was conducting out of town business for Southern Software, Inc.

One person commented that Chairman Picerno knew last summer that Comm Melton would be nominated and would decline. The Pilot reports what information released to them by P & C. Right or Wrong ... ((wink - wink))

Toda 5 months, 2 weeks ago

cooldaddy a.k.a. Joesph Garrison ~ your thread should read, "POORER County!!!

aggou 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Toda, You're also forgetting, that they opted not to vote for for Marcus either.

Also, I know you never mentioned President Obama, but the ramifications of the Commissioners race are the exact same. That's why I chose to mention it. I know what I was doing, and I know quite a bit about politics, tyvm, and that's probably why I study it daily.

Whatever you say about the commissioners race will apply to any other race in the country. It's not just about Picerno, millions of Americans didn't vote for President Obama or Mitt Romney, thousands didn't vote for Brown or Warren, Heller or Berkely, Mandel or Brown, Mack or Nelson, McCrory or Dalton. So the implications are the same nationwide as for locally, and are you willing to apply those same characteristics that you do with Picerno and Marcus, to those national races?

You're going to have a faction of the population who just won't vote for one party or another, generally on small, stupid issues that only they tend to care about. People who vote for the Green party tend to be more liberal on average, but don't see the Democratic party as being liberal enough, and same goes for the constitutional party, they tend to be tea party types, but they don't think the Republican party is Conservative enough, and the Libertarian party thinks both parties are too much involved in government.

I mean come on, those people are only like .1% of the population anyway. It won't change in the future.

Lastly, I'm at an actual University, so I think I'm good on the whole GED program.

Toda 5 months, 2 weeks ago

Go back and read the heading ... aggou. Picerno won even if it was by one vote. My point is that not all who voted (go back to step one again) almost 2000 didn't vote for either Picerno or Marcus! Were they Republicans' one has to wonder?

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