The death knell for the town of East Laurinburg’s charter has all but sounded, and that sounding isn’t far off.

Town officials have failed to file audits with the State Treasurer’s Office since 2017, which followed the tardiness of its 2016 audit by several months. That’s bad enough, but town officials have done little to rectify things.

The issue came to a head in late 2020, when State Treasurer Dale Folwell and the State Local Government Commission Finance Division gave East Laurinburg officials several weeks to begin the process of getting its audits started.

At that time, offers of assistance were extended by both Folwell’s office, the LGC office and from State Rep. Garland Pierce.

Those offers were ignored.

Also ignored by town officials since that process began have been phone calls and inquiries from both The Laurinburg Exchange and WLNC radio.

A followup Zoom meeting by the state with East Laurinburg officials in early 2021 reiterating the urgency of getting the town’s finances and paperwork brought up to date apparently also went nowhere.

The town suffered a setback last month when Mayor Marshall Stevens passed away suddenly. Shortly afterward, the town called an emergency meeting and, as reported by WLNC, voted to appoint a new mayor and discussed the potential loss of the town’s charter.

At that time, the plan was for town officials to schedule a meeting with Folwell’s office this week in an attempt to head off the loss of its charter — but, according to one House member, “it’s too little, too late.” A bill is already filed in the House and Senate for voting.

East Laurinburg’s elected officials have brought this upon themselves.

When the General Assembly votes to revoke East Laurinburg’s charter — and it will — it will be the ending not worthy of its beginning.

Its history stretches back more than 100 years, a majority of which was marked by its heavy reliance on the textile industry.

Though the census has shown a downward trend in East Laurinburg, and the business community there has dwindled as well, we are saddened for not only the 300 or so current residents, but also the many who came before them — especially those who started the town many decades ago and worked hard to keep its charter safe.

What will happen now with East Laurinburg, we aren’t sure. But we do lament the fact that this has all become necessary — all because the town’s current leadership could’t or wouldn’t take the time to reach out for help and get done what was necessary.

The blame belongs to them.

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QUOTE OF THE DAY

“It’s not over when you lose, it’s over when you quit.”