THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, April 23, 1995 TAG: 9504230040
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MANTEO LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines
The chairman of the Dare County Board of Commissioners Saturday accused fellow Commissioner Shirley Hassell of being a Republican in Democratic clothing.
R.V. ``Bobby'' Owens Jr. charged that Hassell and Dare County Republican Party Chairman Danny Gray have boasted about having him investigated in an effort to derail his confirmation to a seat on the North Carolina Utilities Commission. He also charged that the Dare County Republican Party paid for bumper stickers reading ``Go Shirley Go.''
Hassell, who ran successfully for a seat on the board of commissioners as a Democrat, acknowledged that Republicans paid for the stickers. But she denied any part in an effort to block Owens' confirmation to the $80,000-a-year state board position.
Owens made his charges at the Dare County Democratic convention. Hassell said she did not attend the meeting because of illness.
``Mr. Owens is a little man with a little mind,'' Hassell said in an interview later. ``I don't know who he thinks he is, but if he represents the Democratic Party he makes a mockery of the democratic process.''
Owens said he was speaking as a party member, not in his capacity as board chairman. What would have been a routine convention exploded when Owens dropped a bomb.
``I may step on some toes,'' Owens told the gathering of party regulars. ``We have a member of this board (of commissioners) who purports to be a Democrat, but is not.''
Owens produced an enlarged photograph of one of the stickers that in the lower left corner reads, ``Dare Co. Rep. Party.''
Owens later turned to charges surrounding his confirmation.
``The statement has been made that Mrs. Hassell and Mr. Gray are going to put an investigation on me to stop confirmation,'' he said. ``I don't care about confirmation. I want (the utilities seat) because it will be good for the people of Dare County.''
Owens accused Hassell of constantly criticizing and degrading him and other members of the Dare County panel.
``I don't want to hurt anybody,'' he said. ``But enough is enough.''
Following the speech, Owens said he chose the party convention to level his charges because a regular commission meeting was not the proper forum.
``I couldn't do it in a commission meeting,'' said Owens. ``When I'm in that chair, I represent all the people of Dare County.''
Reading from a prepared statement aimed at the commissioner, Owens accused Hassell of ``making a mockery of the governmental process.''
He added, ``In four months, you have condemned, found fault, and run down county government and its employees, and offered absolutely nothing constructive for the citizens of Dare County.''
Hassell flatly denied the charges concerning Owens' appointment to the utilities panel.
``This is probably the greatest thing Gov. (James B.) Hunt has done for the people of Dare County,'' said Hassell. ``The smartest thing (Owens) can do is take the job and go to Raleigh.''
Hassell wept as she responded to Owens' allegations.
``This burns me up. If I did join the Republican Party I'd at least be a content with a label on it. Bobby Owens is a content with no label on it. Even though he's a Democrat, I don't believe he speaks for everyone in the Democratic Party.''
As for charges concerning an investigation of Owens, Hassell said, ``I didn't know he would even be subject to that until a constituent called me and told me, `If they ever investigate Bobby Owens, he'll never be appointed.' Who am I to have someone investigated?''
Republican Chairman Gray of Avon also blasted Owens' charges.
``That's a lie if I ever heard a lie,'' Gray said by phone Saturday.
``I would never have anyone investigated. I wouldn't know who to call, or where to go. How would it serve me to have him investigated?''
Owens admitted that Saturday's bombshell could make a bad situation on the Dare County Board of Commissioners worse.
``I don't know what else to do,'' he said. ``With the exception of one person, we've got a good board of commissioners that's working hard for the people of Dare County. I've held my tongue long enough.'' by CNB