LAURINBURG — Some of Scotland County’s very own were recognized Thursday at the Lumber River Council of Governments’ (LRCOG) annual meeting.
LRCOG celebrated 52 years of operation and recognized individuals who have “generously given their time and energy towards the work of the LRCOG.” Angeline David, LRCOG board of directors chairman, presided over the event.
During the event, Robert McLaughlin, a councilmember of the Town of Wagram, was named the Calvin Haggins Award for Outstanding LRCOG Board Member of the Year recipient.
McLaughlin has represented the Town of Wagram on the LRCOG Board of Directors for 22 years and has been “actively engaged in supporting the critical work that the LRCOG performs throughout the region,” according to the LRCOG. He has provided hands-on support for the LRCOG programs by serving as a Meals on Wheels volunteer. McLaughlin currently serves as the second vice chair for the LRCOG board of directors.
In addition to his service to the LRCOG, Councilman McLaughlin also has served the Town of Wagram since 1999.
Councilman McLaughlin is retired from the North Carolina Department of Corrections and the US Army National Guard.
He has also served in the U.S. Navy. He is married to Linda McKoy McLaughlin and they have two sons. He is also an active member of Unionville Missionary Baptist Church.
Additionally, each board and advisory council serving the LRCOG presented an award to their outstanding members.
Scotland County Commissioner Tim Ivey was named the Rural Planning Organization Transportation Advisory Committee Member of the Year.
Ivey has been an active member of the TAC since 2018. He is a strong advocate for the RPO goal of involving local public officials and citizens in transportation planning, which gives rural areas a formal voice in the transportation planning process.
In addition to serving on the committee, Ivey serves his community in numerous other ways. He was elected to the Scotland County Board of Commissioners in 2018, and is presently serving as its chairman. He also serves on the boards of the Scotland County Economic Development Commission, Scotland County Historical Properties, Scotland County ABC Board, and Scotland County Parks and Recreation. He initiated the rehabilitation of I.E. Johnson School to be turned into a new Community Center. He also previously served on the Juvenile Crime Prevention Council.
Commissioner Ivey is a lifelong resident of Scotland County. He is retired from JPMorgan Chase. He and his wife, Tammy, have been married for 13 years. They have four sons—TJ, Doug, Travis, and Joshua—as well as seven grandchildren.
Shelia Swift was named the Aging Advisory Council Member of the Year.
Swift has been an active member of the Regional Aging Advisory Council since her appointment in 2012. She also serves as the Scotland County Delegate with Senior Tar Heel Legislature, where she promotes citizen involvement and advocacy for aging issues with local elected officials and the North Carolina General Assembly.
Swift also serves her community as a volunteer with Scotland Regional Hospice, Camp Monroe in Scotland County, the Scotland County Arts Council, and the Scotland County School System.
Swift attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (formally known as North Carolina School of the Arts) and earned a bachelor’s degree in art from The University of North Carolina at Pembroke. She is retired from Scotland County Schools. She has been married to her husband, Bill, for 33 years. They have a daughter and three grandchildren.
Other awards
Tammy Freeman, Robeson County clerk, received the Annie Kohnen Regional Clerk of the Year award. Greg Martin, retired Bladen County Manager, received the John K. McNeill, Jr. Regional Manager of the Year award. Denise Sullivan, Mayor Pro Tem of the City of Rockingham, was the recipient of the Leon Maynor Local Leadership Award. John Cummings, Robeson County Commissioner, was the recipient of the L.E. McLaughlin, Jr. and Bob Gentry Regional Leadership Award.
Dale McInnis, of Richmond County, received the Dr. Stanley Richardson Award for Workforce Development Board Member of the Year.
Lumber River Council of Governments Executive Director, David Richardson, was also recognized with the Patriotic Employer Award from Office of the Secretary of Defense Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.
During the evening event, Richardson, announced that the work of the Lumber River Council of Governments had been recognized on the national level. The LRCOG for the fifth straight year received three National Association of Development Organization Innovation Awards. The awards were for its Lumber River Supplemental Services Subscription program, which provides incontinence supplies and similar items to the region’s unpaid family caregivers; Lumber River Wetlands Restoration Study, which examined potential areas for wetland restoration within each county to reduce flooding risk; and the Lumber River Resilient Roads Study, which examined key transportation corridors and identified solutions to make those corridors more resilient.
The LRCOG provides an array of programs and services to the member governments located within its region: Bladen, Hoke, Richmond, Robeson and Scotland counties. It serves as an administrative and service delivery arm for federal, state, regional, and local programs of its member governments.