Dear Editor,

First, thanks for reporting the news in Maxton. Like all towns and cities, we have good news and sometimes not so good news for our citizens.

I’m a resident of Maxton, born in the county and attended R. B. Dean School. I’ve been involved in our town for nearly a half century and I’ve never known such notoriety as has come about since the election of the current mayor- Gladys Dean. She is, as an earlier article stated, a recalcitrant person; meaning she is hard to deal with. She can be overbearing. I know because she has shown that to me and others as well as to our former town manager. She doesn’t work well with person’s that challenge her or person’s that are as knowledgeable as she thinks she is. She can be down right rude. She has separated some of the town’s folk. After her assault trial in Lumberton in February, it was alleged that she came back to town and told people that she hadn’t been found guilty. Well, what do you call it when some one goes to trial and the judge gives probation and says if no other infractions are made by you, that in six months it will be taken from your record. I was there and the reason I was there was I felt this might happen and I wanted to see and hear for myself. She’s combative. She yelled at me, when I only asked her a question. I mean really yelled. I was shocked – saying to myself, “not the Dr. Mayor Dean.” I gave her a calm response and since that time I’ve tried to stay away from her. She’ll make one embarrass one’s self or her.

The decision the mayor and board of commissioners made with regard to former town manager Katrina Tatum was purely personal. If not, why haven’t the citizens as well as Ms. Tatum been given a real reason. The mayor says it is a personnel matter. You can hide any reason behind that statement and especially if the board is okaying everything the mayor says. I agree it’s a personnel matter but one that is purely personal. It had nothing to do with job performance. If you hire someone and their performance does not meet your standards-expectations, then you replace them within six months to a year. That’s standard procedure. Ms. Tatum worked with this town for 2.5 years. In my opinion, they used her and her abilities.

Let’s face it and be true concerning her firing. Even though the mayor says and I quote, “ you know I can’t say anything, everyone has the right to resign; we accepted her resignation,” which they did.

Most people would resign rather than be fired. I believe they terminated her because they didn’t like her. Ms. Tatum was smarter and more knowledgeable concerning the operation of any town than either the mayor or the commissioners.

The Bible says we should love everyone and treat them as we wish to be treated. It did not say we had to like everyone and their ways. I love everyone, but I certainly don’t like all their ways or personalities. Job performance should be done based on performance and quality of output. Doing the job doesn’t mean you have to love them or socialize personally.

The town employees worked well with Katrina and the town has been successful. Quite a few would have gone by now, if the job market weren’t so dire. They may not be able to speak openly about this situation, but I do feel this to be true.

Our town board is no better than the Mayor if they rubber stamp, don’t challenge or seek to fulfill their obligations to its citizens by always putting the town and its operations first.

At one time very recently, we were the envy of other small towns throughout North Carolina. Today, our relationship with other STEP (Rural Center) towns and sources of grants and money has been placed in jeopardy by our Mayor and Commissioners. These sources really don’t want to be bothered because of the bickering and negative notoriety. Instead of building relationships, it seems to me that officials in control at the town office need to take a long hard look at yourselves and the decisions you’ve made and will make in the future.

Maxton is a lovely place to live for us who have been here and seen its growth under Mayor Midgette, Mayor Chestnut, Mayor McKoy and Mayor Hasty to name a few. Never have we had such a fiasco as in the past year. Come on town and citizens, we can and must do better.

McEachin is a longtime resident of Maxton.