THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, November 2, 1996 TAG: 9611020280
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY MASON PETERS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 53 lines
The governor has named influential leaders to the agency serving 20 counties.
Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. on Friday named five influential area leaders to the Coastal Resources Commission, an agency that is occasionally caught in a cross-fire between developers, fishing interests, and conservationists.
Those named were:
Jerry Old, a former Currituck County commissioner, who owns and operates a family auto supply business in Moyock.
Margaret Ann ``Peggy'' Griffin, of Columbia in Tyrrell County, who has been personnel director for the Tyrrell school system since 1969. She is the first woman to be elected to both the Columbia Town Board and the Tyrrell County Commission.
Alton Ballance, of Hyde County, an assistant principal at the Ocracoke Island school on the Outer Banks.
Gene Tomlinson, a former mayor of Southport in Brunswick County, who was a civilian engineer for the Department of the Army for 29 years.
Melvin Shepard, of Sneads Ferry in Onslow County, a commercial fisherman.
Tomlinson and Griffin were reappointed to the CRC by the governor. Shepard, Ballance and Old are new appointees. Tomlinson will serve as chairman of the commission, a position he has held since 1993.
``Gene is thoughtful and wise,'' the governor said in announcing the new CRC members and Tomlinson's continuation as chairman.
The CRC sets standards for development, environmental protection and land-use planning for a 20-county coastal area that is regulated by the Coastal Area Management Act. The 15 commission members are appointed by the governor to four-year terms and may serve several terms.
``These are crucial appointments for our coast,'' Hunt said. ``The CRC has to make tough decisions. I want people who are prepared to protect and restore our coast.''
Several of the appointments have already been endorsed by Todd Miller, executive director of the N.C. Coastal Federation, North Carolina's largest coastal conservation organization, the governor said.
Ballance, a native of Ocracoke, teaches high school English and journalism and has served eight years as a Hyde County commissioner. He was instrumental in creating a growth-management ordinance for the picturesque barrier island.
``Every day I see the forces of change, both natural and human, at work on the coast,'' Ballance said. ``I look forward to working with the people of North Carolina to help them understand those changes and leave a better coast for our children.''
Shepard and his son operate New River Nets in Sneads Ferry. He is president of the N.C. Coastal Federation and the Southeastern N.C. Waterman's Association. He has been active on several committees planning for the future of North Carolina fisheries and on the N.C. Sea Grant Advisory Committee.
KEYWORDS: APPOINTMENT NORTH CAROLINA COASTAL RESOURCE COMMISSION by CNB