The Downward Slope of my Hometown

I was born and raised in Scotland Neck but the town has really changed from the time I was living there which was only 10 years ago. The Drug infestation and violence is too much for that small town to bare. I saw a post about a Walmart being built in Scotland Neck, you know that wouldn't be a bad idea. It would offer a lot of jobs in the local area and boost the economy. The town representation i.e. The Mayor needs to adapt to modern times, we can't stay a bookwoods community forever thriving off mediocre jobs and living check to check. I know building a Walmart isn't a final solution but it's definitely one step in the direction that the communtiy needs to go. It's the same scernario every where I go ... "The rich keep getting richer and the pooor continue to get poorer.

A new mayor, and a new town council may be the key. Get out and vote!!

i was born in scotland neck and moved away in 2000. always seemed that the town officals do what they wont and put in office who they wont i am very upset by the way they do things down their the only way to get anything done is if you got money it is sad i dont think that it will ever grow they are scared that people like babes will go out of biss and go broke i feel for all who is their may oneday someone will be able to do something with it

Forest78 is right. I got out of there as fast as I could around the same time (we were classmates). In elementary school I made the decision to go to college primarily so I would be less likely to ever have to return. It depresses me to visit, and I only do so because I have family there. There's nothing to do and the "leaders", and I use the term loosely, don't seem to care because nothing is being done. How can you represent the best interest of your town and turn down development? Are there any factories anymore? What's being done with the buildings that housed Paul Bruce, the Hosiery Mill, and Fulflex? If nothing, bring in another business or turn one into a community center or something! Increase your tax basis and provide jobs for people who aren't working or tired of driving (or catching a ride) to Tarboro, Rocky Mount, or Roanoke Rapids for everything. And being in the news every other week for a shooting or stabbing doesn't help! It makes me embarrassed to call this place my hometown.

Vote people. Get those fools out! Once the older generation passes on, the young ones finish killing each other, and the sick and tired move for better opportunities, what will be left?

i feel you ALL on this--my sentiments EXACTLY...i wasn't born there, but my family is from there...i stopped visiting scotland neck often b/c of the memories i had on when i lived there for three years after my great grandmother got sick-i was a straight A student and involved in clubs and sports, yet STILL had to fight and even got stabbed once--NEVER started any of it, but being from out of town, talking and dressing differently makes one stand out ~sigh~ whenever i go to visit my great grandfather and grandmother i feel like i have stepped back in time to a ghost town--that place is SO depressing, yet it still feels like "home" to me...i'm just glad my mom didn't have us living there for longer than the three yrs that we did...definitely need to vote and get some people on the town board that CARE and that can bring in some economic opportunities to that town! so sorry about these recent events!

People, as a former resident of scotland neck I feel your pain. Scotland neck has gotten to the point where in you cant walk the streets unless you come in contact with people who seem to have no direction nor purpose. The leadership their is still comprised of the good old boy network and the minority community their refuses to use their political clout to make changes. Until they recognize the powers that were given to them and get their collective heads out of the sand(or should I say Crack) they will continue to live in dispair

i don't know why this thing says i'm from Bayonne, NJ--still here in NC, but anyways, i totally agree with you Lass--you are ON POINT--especially this
part--->

The leadership their is still comprised of the good old boy network and the minority community their refuses to use their political clout to make changes. Until they recognize the powers that were given to them and get their collective heads out of the sand(or should I say Crack) they will continue to live in dispair

Keeping up with posts until next elections. Believe it or not, things can change GREATLY if people get to the polls. I have never agreed with how things are run in SN. The "underclasses" have never been treated fairly, so in a way SN made its' own bed.
Even so, it is still a town that for some reason sticks in your heart and memory.

i went in last weekend . nothen had changed for the good it has only got worse then ever every where you it looks like trash every where onone is ever going to do anything with that plase i wish i could get my family away form their the city gov dont know what policts are i was did not have the best rep their but i moved and got into some great things like firefigthing thing that the people of scotland neck would hold you back form it was alway (who you were ) well i got into policts and i see what that town is doing and the need some fed gov their bad to get things on the move maybe one day but for now you have to deal with the same old crap for people like parton and others that thank they know what they you doing

an investigation into grant monies spent would be a well deserved shake-up.

People, get out and vote. Employers are required by law to let you off to go to the polls, and if you are in line at closing, they have to let you cast your vote. It is the law.

^bringing this post back up to keep it going--i agree, people have GOT to vote!!!

I'm disappointed, but not surprized by many of the posts here. It's the same vague innuendos and unsupported lies that certain people always seem to spew around election time.

No one has any facts or evidence of any kind to support the baseless statements impugning the honesty and character of the Mayor. If you can support what you say, I invite you to share this evidence with everyone else.

As for the "empty" buildings, they are and will be filled by business recruited by Mayor Partin. Airboss is already there, and Carter & Mayes is on the way. The property taxes paid by Airboss this year has been a wonderful shot in the arm for SN, not to mention the jobs they provide.

We all want a better Scotland Neck. A town that can thrive and grow in the 21st century. Instead of injecting hateful speech and spreading unsupported lies, be positive and work with the town to develop meaningful ideas to improve the town for the future.

Oh, and by the way. The posters who are/were encouraging people to vote, I hope you weren't talking about out of town people or encouraging people to vote twice.

When someone uses an empty lot as a valid address in order to vote, it's a crime. When someone who doesn't live in the town but votes in the town's election, it's a crime. When a voter knowingly casts a ballot at the polls AND via absentee ballot, it's a crime.

The Board of Elections has negligently turned a blind eye to these blantant irregularities. I'm disappointed in the voters who cheated the system, and I'm disappointed in the authorities (Board of Elections, poll workers, etc.) who allowed this to happen.

i definitely encouraged people to vote and i didn't mean it in an illegal way...

we do agree on one thing--DISAPPOINTMENT!

I was considering relocating back to NC-I was raised around New Bern and saw a beautiful home in ScotlandNeck. I thought that it would be a beautiful place to raise my daughter and grow old with my husband. The Pocono Mountains, where I live, has had a steady influx of people from NYC-NJ-I hate to make a blanket statement of "all" but we now have all major "gang's" and the crime is incredible-the small town value's are constantly challenged by these "groups"...it's exhausting to keep up with-but it's just not a nice atmosphere anymore.
I decided to look at your newspaper to see what's going on in your area and was surprised to see so much going on...
We're nice people, good parents and good neighbors-we work hard and mind our own business-and don't want to go from the frying pan into the fire...should we look at this home in Scotland Neck or not...any positive comments would be helpful...

Peace and blessings Debbie!
i wouldn't want to raise a child in Scotland Neck--the school system is not that great and jobwise it's not great...

if you have aims to move down south--i'd recommend the Raleigh-Durham area--GREAT schools, GREAT jobs, GREAT environment overall!

here's the link to our newspaper

www.newsobserver.com

I can't believe the work SNeck4life goes through to make excuses for the behavior of the angry losers in the last election. Scotland Neck is a sad example of the damage done when elected officials misuse public funds when they have total control and the privacy afforded them with that control.
The defense is to say things like this from SNeck4life in his carefully worded, "It's the same vague innuendos and unsupported lies that certain people always seem to spew around election time.
No one has any facts or evidence of any kind to support the baseless statements impugning the honesty and character of the Mayor. If you can support what you say, I invite you to share this evidence with everyone else".
The town leaders carefully crafted the quoted statement and have used it for many years. You never hear them call for an open and unbiased review of their books. They never will. Instead they hope that they can keep their control and fight when it begins to slip away. They and SNeck4life are afraid of what and investigation will show. Or else they'd be demanding one to "clear their good names".
Things done in the back room or the dead of night are difficult for private people to prove. That is why conspirators make sure that there is no one there that can hear or see their scheming and misuse of funds.
Only a new mayor and new board can open the city hall to the public's eyes. They can vote and bring in the investigators needed to prove what everyone already knows to be true. Too many people know the truth but can't get it confirmed.
In Scotland Neck, it is a fact that a former town clerk committed embezzlement, he made deals to keep co-conspirators from getting caught and then they rewarded each other by holding on to their absolute control over the city government.
It will only be when these fact are brought out by an outside investigation, the crooks identified and new people not connected with them are in office that Scotland Neck can move forward.
An accounting firm from Virginia Beach, VA found the evidence of the embezzlement years ago. They pointed out that it wasn't limited to the person that sacrificed himself to protect the others. But, as the guilty often do, the city leaders failed to call in the proper investigators to get to the bottom of the corruption. This isn't innuendo or unsubstantiated rumor. It's the truth. And, SNeck4life, you know it.

I posted this in another forum as a response to someone looking at buying a home in Snoctland Neck.
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I was born and raised in this small town. For many years I hated the place. It seemed there was nothing to do and nowhere to go. I left, for a career, in my early thirties and pledged never to return except to see family. During my travels around the western part of the US and living in Texas for a few years, I found myself strangely missing this small town. The trees and the natural beauty of the place haunted my thoughts. There aren't many trees out west and I really missed them. I found this strangely curious, but there was something else. I missed the people. Those nosey people.

After 10 years away, I finally returned to see to my mother's needs and all the things I hated about the place seemed to fall away when, as if for the first time, I noticed the people were so nice and always inviting. The thunderstorms in spring and birds singing tunes of joy. Squirrels chasing one another in the back yards while neighbors traded homemade goodies across the fence.

I've really grown to love this place, it's beauty and it's people. They are always warm and hospitable even if they are a little gossipy, as you would expect in any town of this size.

There are some problems. I won't try to pull the wool over anyones eyes here. There are drug problems and thefts. A few break ins here and there, but not at the level I experienced in Charlotte, NC, Fort Worth, Tx. or even Cheyenne, Wy. There isn't much industry and hardly any good jobs. There is, however, a feeling of security. It wasn't many years ago we still left our doors unlocked and many still do...just not as noticable as before. My mother's door is always open to freinds or strangers.

If any of you choose to buy a home here and choose this small area in which to retire or just get away from the hustle and bustle of the larger cities, rest assured that you would be welcomed and would make many friends quickly. There are plenty of outdoor things to do and many churches to choose from. Race relations are good. Of course, there is always the wayward thug, but the police do a pretty good job of keeping the peace.

Anyway, come. We welcome you and your family and friends to live a more relaxed life; Free of the stresses of constant sirens and unknown neighbors.

We will gladly welcome you.

http://www.city-data.com/forum/north-carolina...
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Let's try to keep things in perspective here people. Scotland Neck is no better or worse than many small towns.

Raleigh isn't the utopia some are trying to portray here. Raleigh, like many metropolitan areas, has a huge illegal alien problem, crime, traffic and high taxes.

Positive statements would tend to attract more people here and that in turn would change our politics and bring badly needed investment to this area.
Scotland Neck isn't the greatest place in the world, but it's a lot better than some would have you believe and the natural beauty of this area speaks for itself.

PS. Despite what the posts say, I'm located in Scotland Neck and I'll wager that many of you here know me.

You can never really go back home....Especially if you have sold it.

Soaring costs, few legitimate threaten people in Scotland Neck as to their electric rates. Already incredibly high, as in 26% higher than outside the town, the rates will be going up 10-12%. Why? The Mismanagement at ElectriCities threatens the future of eastern NC. Time to stand up and say NO. Say no in your local Budget. Vote for the candidates willing to look into ElectriCities and find out about the mismanagement that causes unnecessary rate increases. Now is the time for all ratepayers to act. ElectriCities will not speak to these issues because they are true. Councils, Commissions – Now is the time for accountability and time to stand up and do the right thing for the future of eastern NC. We deserve it

Attend June 27 in Rocky Mount 10 am RATE MEETING at Braswell Library and help us question excessive spending by smucks in raleigh like Jesse Tilton and Clay Norris who has the demeanor of a door post. Estherine Davis, the lobbyist, gets salary increases because she does favors for members of the legislature and they respond by insisting she get raises. Corruption.