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A tradition within the New Bern Fire Department and its ancestors since 1879, threatened by a row over former mayor Lee Bettis, is now no longer a habit, a tradition, or a whim — it’s city law. Aldermen passed a resolution on Tuesday making it official city policy to add the name of the mayor in office when a fire truck is authorized for purchase. The policy gives a mayor the option to decline the honor. The resolution passed on a vote of 5-2, with Mayor Dana Outlaw and Alderman Jeffrey Odham voting against the measure. The controversy arose when the previous Board of AldermenRead More →

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A plan that includes enforced two-hour parking in Downtown New Bern cleared a hurdle on Tuesday. Following a public hearing during which a committee’s recommendations went largely unchanged, the board asked its staff to prepare an ordinance and bring it back for a vote at the board’s first meeting in February. A committee met over several months in 2017 to come up with ways to solve a perceived problem with downtown parking, with any decisions on the committee’s recommendations put off until the Board of Aldermen’s first meeting in January to enable new aldermen to weigh in on the issue. Alderman Sabrina Bengel, whose wardRead More →

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First off, the obvious Things are getting back to normal now that the holidays are behind us. Just kidding. With snow and ice blanketing the region, it’s like having an extra week off for the Christmas break. Schools have been closed since Wednesday. So much of New Bern was shut down on Thursday, it nearly felt like Christmas Day. Though we were well supplied with food, cabin fever drove us from the house and we thank the folks at Sonic and Piggly Wiggly for braving the weather and serving our needs. Other businesses were open, too … these are just the two we happened toRead More →

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January 9, 2018 Agenda and Explanations  1.   Meeting opened by Mayor Dana E. Outlaw.  Prayer Coordinated by Alderman Bengel.  Pledge of Allegiance. 2.   Roll Call. 3.   Request and Petition of Citizens. This section of the Agenda is titled Requests and Petitions of Citizens.  This is an opportunity for public comment, and we thank you for coming to the Board of Aldermen meeting tonight to share your views.  We value all citizen input. Speaker comments are limited to a maximum of 4 minutes during the public comment period.  At the conclusion of 4 minutes, each speaker shall leave the podium.  Comments will be directed to theRead More →

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The following chart is the salary and travel allowance provided to each board member: The Fiscal Year 2017/18 budget includes $2,000 for travel and training and $1,000 special appropriation for discretionary spending for each Board Member.  As board members, they are also eligible to participate in the Employee Health Benefits plan. Although not a compensated item, the entire Board has city-issued iPads. The mayor (Dana Outlaw) and aldermen from Wards 2 (Jamee Harris), 3 (Bobby Aster), 4 (Johnnie Ray Kinsey) and 6 (Jeffrey Odham) have accepted city-issued cell phones. Aldermen Sabrina Bengel and Barbara Best have not opted for for city-issued cell phones.Read More →

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The board of aldermen without a ward system might as well look like this photo, taken just before new board members took their seats on Dec. 12. Post photo   I keep hearing that New Bern’s ward system is outdated and unnecessary, and that all members of the Board of Aldermen should be elected at-large, the same way the mayor is elected. Getting rid of the ward system would accomplish two things: It would put serving on the board out of reach for all but anyone who is wealthy enough to buy their way into office. It would leave New Bern’s less affluent neighborhoods withoutRead More →

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The outgoing Board of Aldermen shortly before four aldermen surrendered their seats on Dec. 12. Post photo   Dec. 12 was the last Board of Aldermen meeting for four aldermen. They included: One-term Ward 1 alderman Dallas Blackiston, who sought reelection but came in third in a three-person race won by his predecessor, Sabrina Bengel Two-term Ward 2 alderman Victor Taylor, who did not seek reelection and who was replaced by Jamee Harris. Half-term alderman E.T. Mitchell, who was appointed to the board and who did not run for reelection; she was replaced by Bobby Aster. Two-term Ward 5 alderman Bernard White, who lost hisRead More →

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Members of the new Board of Aldermen moments after taking their seats. They are, from left, Sabrina Bengel, Jamee Harris, Bobby Aster, Dana Outlaw, Johnnie Ray Kinsey, Barbara Best, and Jeffrey Odham. Post photo   Three of four new aldermen who took their seats on Dec. 12 bring with them enough experience that it would be inaccurate to call them rookies. Sabrina Bengel, who bested incumbent Dallas Blackiston, boating instructor Tony Bonnici and a hard challenge by retired chemist Anne Schout, has a long history of community involvement, owns real estate and businesses downtown, and previously served on the Board of Aldermen as Ward 1Read More →

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Alderman Sabrina Bengel takes the oath of office after being selected mayor pro tem. Alderman and former mayor pro tem Jeff Odham is in the background fuming. The two sit on opposite sides of the dais and, judging from their first meeting Tuesday, are on opposite sides of other things, too. It didn’t take long for four years of bad blood between Sabrina Bengel and Dana Outlaw/Jeff Odham to spill over into Tuesday’s Board of Aldermen meeting. The question is, who started it? • Was it Ward 1 Alderman Bengel who, during her first meeting as alderman (this time around) and using a portion ofRead More →

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Note: This has been corrected since originally posted to reflect that there had never been more than two women on the board, not one. The glass ceiling was cracked, if not shattered, on Tuesday, as three women took their seats on a Board of Aldermen that had never had more than two female members throughout its existence.     And one of the first things the more feminine board did on Tuesday was vote unanimously to endorse the Equal Rights Amendment. In 1972, a proposed Equal Rights Amendment (“ERA”) to the Constitution passed both houses of the U.S. Congress and was sent to the statesRead More →