Brunswick County's Future Does not Include You
Which Way Brunswick Voter?
As anyone who has perused this substack knows, I spend some time writing. The long project has been a book on Ulysses Grant. I fell into the present unpleasantness and paused that project because of necessity. I do not think the county is moving in the right direction; it is fast on the path to become a new blue county like we see in NY, or NJ, Chicago, or, gasp, California, etc.
The Theory of the Case
How should we create a community that we like to live in? Well, first, the elected elites need to actually respect the consent of the governed. At present, they do not. They hate us. No really, they do. That is why they do what they want, and ignore real meaningful public input.
Oh sure they will state they care about public concerns, but in the end, projects always go through, and while some voters are just fine with that (believing they were listened to by elected officials or unelected “experts”), the fact is most people feel something is not right. Their eyes tell them rationally, all is not well. People resign themselves to defeat, and the same thing happens over and over again. Perhaps you have even said, “what can I do?”
Politicians are not our friends, they are our tools. As far as they represent the people, they are fine, but never like or love them. Princes always disappoint.
So what to do? We should have some positive things to say and some positive actions to take. There’s a lot of negative we could focus on, but the negative needs a positive to change the depressing state of affairs.
The best thing a government could do is zone agricultural or residential, for single family homes, and then stay the hell away. Protect the property rights of those who build there, but stay the hell away. This allows not only the people to freely craft their own homes, but, be secure that they are moving into a space that they OWN. When government rezones property, they take the ownership from those who own property.
BUT, you might object, a man should do what they want with their property! Generally speaking this is true. When a person buys a property, however, they are buying it as zoned. If they try to rezone their property to something radically different from the time of purchase, they defrauded their neighbors, and did not really want to be a good neighbor in the first place. They are hostile to the other property owners. In other words, they took from the residents their ownership of their own property by changing the character of the land and building potentially harmful things to their land.
So the remedy for a lot of this corruption is to protect the property rights of the residents. You want to build a high rise apartment “afforable housing” complex, fine. Buy a property already zoned for that. This will create clear informed cues to potential buyers of where they want to live. The alternative is what we have now—slimy developers seeking to make a buck at the expense of the residents. In the end, the politicians get their pockets lined by said developers.
That is not the free market. Nor is it protecting the property rights of the property owner. What it is, is placing a political thumb on the scale to take from the people in order to make a certain class of people richer at their expense. The reason we have this charade of community commentary on new developments, is because the government already has admitted, the long time residents should have a say in what their community looks like. But money talks, and in the end, public commentary never really matters.
Yet, the changing of the laws on zoning, and securing zoning surrounding long time residents, really is a bandaid. We have a deeper problem that needs addressed. What do we want our towns and communities to look like?
Ever been to Athens or Rome? Aren’t they beautiful? Perhaps you may have noticed the way some cities look? Some are just comfy and beautiful; others are run down and oddly built. Having a beautiful and tightly run community is difficult. Just because your buildings, town center, and homes may be beautiful, it only takes a generation of Democrat [liberal Republican] rule to fuck it all up—see every blue city in the Northeast that you, yes you, likely escaped from.
Winston Churchill once wrote that we are defined, or shaped, by our surroundings—our buildings. Ugly buildings lead to an ugly people. A better theory of the case would be not to eliminate growth, but to have a voter interested view of the matter, with a soul that aims at liberty and beauty. How should a responsible government that is not corrupt go about that?
The first thing to do, with citizen support, is to not just build anything. Human beings do not need more buildings made of metal and windows. Look at most all the physical therapy and various medical buildings going up on the 17. They are built by vandals, waiting for actual vandals to finish the job.
Hoomewood-Flosmoor in Illinois were middle-upper neighborhoods in the 60s-80s. Then, affordable housing kicked in. Guess what has happened? This.
And now some tough words for a lot of people who have moved here: your Homeowner’s Association is not going to save you. In fact, all these communities being built—The new rage the Bluffs, but also Compass Pointe, Waterford, Magnolia Green, St. James, Brunswick Forest, etc., are ALL a part of the plan to change the community from what it was, to what it will be—a densely populated area where crime will increase, and all surrounded by ugliness. No the HOA does not protect property values as noted above. Want to take charge of your life, eliminate the HOA. You have the power to do so.
At any rate, HOAs were in full force in places like Homewood once. Now? Bullets fly. Drive down Cicero in south suburban Chicago—you will note that a once charming area, is now rife with closed down shops, and empty homes. Their HOA did not save them.
You see, the same people who like “affordable” housing love them some HOA. Do not believe me? Try to find an independent contractor who build single family homes for individuals. Hell, try to find unrestricted land in Brunswick county—you won’t. What our rulers now build are “developments.” This prices the middle class out of the area.
It also eliminates the hearty soul from buying his own land and building a house. Wanna drill a well? Nope. Want to have your own septic? Denied. Want to have a few chickens when eggs are no longer available in the store—we will take your house from you.
THAT is what Leland now represents. The people here are trapped by the lie of resort living in small houses, without owned space. But, you feel like you hit the jackpot don’t you? Wait 20 years.
So you see, a part of any community/town/county should be to reserve land for unrestricted development by individuals who are manly enough to live their life more like a sufficient homesteader than a slave trapped by an HOA that, to be honest, does not care about you—but they certainly care about what you are doing, and they gossip about it constantly.
I’ll give you another example: a couple of members of the former HOA board in Waterford recently assaulted a couple of teenagers for riding their bikes near the clubhouse and verbally accosted them. Why? Unapproved activity that celebrated life. The teenagers seemed too, what’s the word, like outsiders. They were not doing anything wrong and the kids were being lawful. But, this is what all HOAs become—WOKE Nosy busy bodies who believe they are better than everyone else because they ruined one state and got out to control the lives of others here. They are quite glad to control your property and your life. Many of these same people violate the yard sign covenant without consequence by placing Woke Black Lives Matter signs in their yard. That’s an HOA approved message. Fuck the lives of humans; we are a respecter of persons, HOAs are saying. So much for “all men are created equal.”
Leland loves HOA developments because, those areas get annexed,1 they increase the tax base for the town, and they also get infrastructure development. They also like them because it attracts a certain clientele that is then controlled by the HOA. The developer sells his houses, maybe gets a govt grant kickback. It’s a rich rich situation.
But still, new residents in these HOAs have no owned space they can call their own. It’s a seduction, a lie, to sell that lifestyle.
Consider this: what comes of a family who labors for their land, plans their forever home? They are just the kind of hearty people Brunswick county and Leland should want. And those are the people of Old Leland that Brenda Bozeman hates. They are hated because they are independent thinkers, and live their lives in a way the ruling class thinks is undesirable for the modern, liberal, globalist age. They like owned space, they are genuinely “conservative” and they are the salt of earth that makes for a vibrant community.
So the aim should be to protect property by having real zoning laws that rarely ever change, increase the building of beautiful buildings not metal crap, encourage a hearty citizenry by reserving space for unrestricted agricultural and residential land, and then, leave them all alone. That is an action plan for the vibrant community Leland wants, but will not get if they continue on their greedy path.
Send in the Liberal Republican Clowns: Brunswick County, Bellville, and the Town of Leland
Since most people reading this post have only recently moved to the county, you probably do not know that there used to be a saying our exalted “elites” used to laugh about 20-30 years ago. The joke goes something like this: “Did you hear a tornado touched down in Leland? It did one million dollars of land improvement.”
Funny, no? But it also represented the opinion of our rulers—the Brunswick natives (Bozeman, Williams) who were ambitious, and saw an opportunity to make a lot of money at the expense of those already living here.
Did you hear a tornado touched down in Leland? It did one million dollars of land improvement
I have noted in the last two posts that natives like Frank Williams have sold out their own people. He has been raised here, but has turned his back on those who he grew up with (and represented) in order to cash in on the rapid growth of the county. He wants to be in the General Assembly so bad. To get there, he is following his interests not the interests of the voters.
What Brenda Bozeman, the politburo Mayor of the Leland Town Council, says is the same. Listen to what she actually said:
The word “old” is out for me. I like to say “traditional.” Sometimes, people forget — I am “traditional” Leland. Every decision made is on behalf of and for the benefit of the entire town. I am focused on creating a downtown Leland that embodies the feel and flavor of traditional southern charm. The majority of major improvements and beautification efforts undertaken by the town have been in the “traditional” gateway area of Village Rd. Leland. I have worked with the Brunswick Senior Resources, Inc. to influence and encourage the placement of a new senior citizen facility conveniently located and now enjoyed by a great number of our “traditional” seniors. Sidewalks have been installed with more on the way, Northgate Drive has been realigned and more retail is being drawn to “traditional” Leland. The town’s municipal campus, also located in “traditional” Leland is a source of pride for our citizens and hosts many community events. We are always trying to find ways to encourage the participation of “traditional” Leland residents, seeking their interest in serving on our many boards and committees, or simply volunteering with our many local civic organizations. Given all of our activities in “traditional” Leland, and we aren’t finished yet, I honestly feel all our areas enjoy equal representation.
Aside from the fact that this is incomprehensible, Boseman is lying. There is no beauty in what Leland has been building. She wants “old Leland” to believe their lying eyes—that something is wrong with this entire town government. It smells of corruption. Look at the architecture of what is being built in the town. Have you seen the dreck that is going up around Harris Teeter on Waterford Way? It is a modernist, soulless, out of place construction like the new hotel abomination TRU. It is simple architectural vandalism. Most being built is all moderninist construction, or, ugly. The new apartments going up, like Evolve, near Waterford Way are an additionally architectural Hindenburg. Thank you Belville.
Also note what Bozeman admits without realizing it: long time residents do not approve of her wild visions—they are not participating in Leland’s fake progress because they hate that “progress.” They also know she sold them out. She does not care about them. If she did, she would not be so eager to covet thy neighbors land.
After all, Bozeman is a real estate agent and broker. She loves herself some indiscriminate building as long as it lines pockets. Everyone notices it. More building and selling means more money for the town, for the county, and for real estate agents of a certain class. If you care to read more about her, see here.
The word “old” is out for me. I like to say “traditional.” Sometimes, people forget — I am “traditional” Leland.
~Brenda Bozeman
If Bozeman is traditional Leland, then why does traditional Leland loathe her her so much? Maybe it is because they know her all too well.
If you accept the Williams and Bozeman theory of the case, they want us to look like Old Town Myrtle Beach. Let me assure you, that is where this is all going. You better be packing a concealed carry to survive in such a town,
You will note, the Town is all in on “affordable housing,” which is going to be partly the cause of the coming decline. In other words, Bozeman believes in replacement theory: she wants to replace old town Leland with something new. Nothing says I don’t like long time residents than this. It is well noted that “affordable” housing is meant to change communities.
To make matters worse, the policy aim of Bozeman and the Leland Town Council is to rid the area of the working class, who will not be able to afford what is coming. This is by design. In most literature, you will be hard pressed to find a critical assessment of “affordable housing”—but the fact is “affordable” housing caters not to home ownership, but people who own nothing. Affordable housing puts people in a box that they will never get out of, because it hollows out the middle class.
Look at Wilmington. The city has been under one party Democrat rule for, what, 100+ years? And, Leland has such envy for Wilmington; it wants to be just like it! As my friend Decius once noted about Detroit—wanna see what Leland wants to be? Compare from 10 years ago, the crime rate of New Hanover county with that of Brunswick. Now compare the crime rate of Wilmington with Leland. That’s where we are headed.
Wait until you find out what all this is going to do to government schools—they are not prepared for the onslaught of new people crammed in like sardines into the new “affordable”/renter society being created.
One thing is for sure, what is happening at all levels of the government is not conducive to happy living. Our representatives hate us; our self appointed elites want us to sit down and shut up.
Development for Me but not for Thee—Belville to Leland
One such leland Town Council member said essentially that in a public meeting on the evolve project that Belville rammed through for a careless developer. That careless developer is Ken Dull, with his dog, Pete Avery. They are responsible for building so much ugly in both New Hanover, and Brunswick Counties.
They are also involved in most of the apartments going up around Leland and Belville. When they were seeking to rezone the land near Waterford, they promised to speak to the public and address their concerns. They never did. They promised; they lied. In the end, they never cared, because the fix was in. Belville was always going to approve this project. the fact is, that the residents who bordered the ugly development, Evolve, preferred to live near the land as originally zoned. It was zone for commercial-industrial.2 Belville did not care.3
Frustrated, the Waterford residents went to the Town of Leland, who could have done something to thwart the project, or at least speak for them. The Woke Waterford HOA by the way, sent a “strongly worded memo” to Belville and Leland, but did nothing more.4 The memo had about the result you would expect—we are wimps, and will do nothing to stop you. In a large public hearing that I was present, The HOA did literally nothing for the resident they allegedly represent.
One of my based friends asked a question to one Veronica Carter, a liberal town council member. He asked a logical question about the authority they had over the traffic patterns that would not be nenefical to the existing residents. Carter cut him off. She thinks she’s an “expert” you see. But he continued by saying, “will you let me finish?” She was visibly annoyed in that public meeting that he would not genuflect to her “superior” knowledge. Her answer was? Can’t do anything for you. How about fight for us, and at least make a vigorous statement from your position? Carter: Nope, got better things to do. Noted.
You see the traffic pattern of the new development would cause the residents in Waterford no easy access out when the new Evolve renters move in. Further, the Evolve renters would have easy access to the waterways in Waterford. That is something called trespassing. She could care less. My Friend was not impressed, and knew she had already set her mind to support Ken Dull, and Belville. She could care less about the opinions of her voters.
I also questioned Carter at a Waterford meeting in the clubhouse. She was full of arrogance—you see, the residents of Waterford did not understand that there was nothing they could do because Belville had jurisdiction. Oh, and, she hastened to add, the statutes give us no avenue to defend you, so….sorry charlie. But I asked: how about petitioning the state from your position? That would matter. NOPE! Thanks Veronica! Noted again.
Her demanor was one of condescension. But when I reminded her that she could do something about access to Waterford’s properties since that fell in the jurisdiction of the town, she seemed offended that such a thing could be done even though part of her role is, lawmaker.
Read how Carter and Bozeman make the most vapid statements, and never fight for their voters in regard to the traffic problems in their town, here.
As I am wont to do, let’s let Carter speak for herself. Her comments are revealing. Let’s take a few.
As it pertains to growth:
VC: Growth, Infrastructure and Housing. Growth is not necessarily a bad thing. The opposite of growth is a stagnant or dying town. Unfortunately, I’ve seen towns that have fallen victim to stagnation and/or death. The younger people leave, the older people eventually pass away. What was once a promising, bustling community dies a painful death. I do not want that to happen to Leland.
There is a saying that experts know more and more about less and less. Carter demonstrates that in full view.
The fact is stagnation is the cause of government that mismanages their towns or counties. How? They build rapidly, and then tax the hell out of the people. When it becomes too expensive to live—see NJ, NY, Illinois, Massachusetts, etc.—then people leave. Then businesses leave. THAT is stagnation.
But let’s think seriously about this: Leland is building more for a renter community than an ownership community. It’s almost like they want public housing in a public-private partnership. Read what she says—the town is attracting younger people who are renters. This only encourages a transient community— people who are NOT going to stay. Is not that the very contribution to stagnation she states she is against?
Next!
Our current Council is working together to allow for growth that positions our community for the future. It is sometimes difficult and frustrating to work within the constraints of existing state law, but I believe we are trying to make this a better place for our children and grandchildren to live.
As I noted above, Carter’s arrogance translates into a practice that she cannot represent the people she is supposed to represent. Case in point, is, the above statement. You see, she cannot do anything! Why? Well the state and federal laws prevent her. She is quick to look down on her voters and explain why she cannot represent them. And this is where it all ends. She does not use her position to be the voice of her constituents. She is resigned to let things “progress’ as they are. And she will come up with a myriad of excuses why she cannot act.
Has she ever petitioned the state government for a law to alleviate the voters of Brunswick County? Never. Has she tried to lobby local state representatives to improve the county in ways that the state laws might prohibit? Never. Has she floated the idea of suing the state or feds to protect her voters? What are you, on drugs?
The reason is clear—she likes the way things are going because she agrees with the way things are going—high density sardines are her bag baby.
Those same frustrations extend to infrastructure. There are many things regarding roads that are just not within the span of control of local governments. That is not my opinion, but simply state and federal law. However, we must find ways to work within that existing structure to provide the needed infrastructure to keep our communities (our neighbors are included in this process) moving.
Moving? Moving where? Replacement theory. She wants Leland to move toward a host of apartment living, where land is scarce, but developers get taxpayer money for building ugly crap. But ,notice, she says that building must be within the limits of current infrastructure. Yet, all the building here strips infrustucture. Oh sure the developers build infrastructure for the town—water, sewer, roads—but they get a kick back of the voter’s money in the process. This is not responsible government living in its means; it is spend and tax government remaking the town in its own globalist image. It IS stagnation.
Next!
VC: My personal view on the state law that singled Leland out on annexation is primarily disappointment. I do not understand the rationale. I know that many people believe that this law will stop or slow growth. I do not believe that will be the case. It will simply stop that growth within the Town of Leland. There will still be growth, it will just be outside of our corporate boundaries. The roads that are the responsibility of the town, the parks, and other services that our tax dollars support will be enjoyed by others who do not contribute to their upkeep. That is troubling and perhaps not sustainable as the entire region continues to grow.5
It is quite obvious Carter is not from here, and she has no care to understand the people who have lived here all their lives. She loves herself some annexation, and blames the state for preventing leland from taking more land.
Here is some background on her uninformed tyrannical view of annexation.
A Brief History of Annexation and Leland Corruption from Bozeman/Carter
In the late 90s-early 2000s, Wilmington began annexing neighborhoods against the consent of those living there. Annexation law then allowed such injustices. Then, Wilmington took the bold step to leap frog areas and annex rich neighborhoods against the consent of the the property owners. In other words, there would be the town limits, then unincorporated land, then an unconnected land the town annexed.
If this seems like tyranny, it is.
Wilmington never annexed a community that was dilapidated or “poor.” Only the rich areas. The assessor would then assess the land annexed, and raise the taxes on those people by a significant percentage. It would also make the newly forced residents to pay for all the infrastructure themselves!
Why? To fill their corrupt coffers with tax money so they could fund their woke agenda.
Want an example? You probably have passed this community a thousand times: Landfall. Wilmington forcibly annexed this rich gated community in one of the first efforts to take the land of citizens who purposely built their homes outside the corrupt city of Wilmington. Note:
The state Supreme Court last week put an end to appeals by residents of the annexation area, which includes Landfall, College Acres, Long Leaf Acres, Windemere, Green Meadows and a number of other subdivisions between Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach. The ruling cleared the way for the city to annex the area and its approximately 11,000 residents Jan. 31 .
The largest share of the money appropriated will pay for added police and fire protection and services like street maintenance, utilities and trash collection.
Residents of the annexed area will become city taxpayers on Jan. 31 but won't have to pay their first property tax bills until early January 2000. They will have to pay the remaining five months of 1998-99 taxes as well as a full year of 1999-2000 taxes by then.6
If you are paying attention closely, the city decided to force the property owners against their consent to pay taxes all the way back to 1998.
Wilmington kept annexing.
A few people got pissed off, and vowed to fight. In another annexation, Good Neighbors of New Hanover County objected and decided to sue.7 One of those was my friend, George Wrage, a man of “powar” who would become involved in the politics of the county. He was a hero.
To make a long story short, the Good Neighbors fought Wilmington from taking their land by increasing their taxes against their consent. They believed rightly that the city not only violated taxation without representation, but that they annexed properties unequally—violating equal protection of the laws. Here are a few stories from 2001 I wrote then—I know all this because I was there:
In the end, the Good Neighbors lost their case before the 4th Circuit Court of appeals. Liberal Republican Justice Michael Luttig sold them out.
Yet, in their legal defeat came a new law in North Carolina. It was passed in 2011. Carolina Journal noted what I did a decade earlier:
While North Carolina’s involuntary annexation law states that annexations are intended to benefit those being annexed, the clear beneficiaries are the annexing municipalities. Critics of the law say the amount of tax revenues the cities collect often exceed the value provided in services.
The new law now in effect essentially states that all annexation MUST be voluntary—the citizens MUST consent to it. Please note here.
Now we can bring Carter back into this debate. She is all madz that she cannot annex people involuntarily. Leland so desperately wants to fill its coffers from stolen taxpayer monies, that they have figured a way to violate the spirit of the present annexation law in North Carolina. It is for this reason Leland was stripped of its despotic actions.
What they do is go to developers (always a developer) who is the sole owner of a piece of land. They encourage him to petition the town to annex said property. Do not believe? For shame. Note here. Why do they go to the developer? Because the person can be bribed, and they know once the people move in, those people will not want to be a part of their corruption scheme to raise their taxes and force them to fund their woke agenda.
Bozeman asserts Leland is a desirable place people want to live here, yet she is not confident enough to let people decide if they want to be a part of the town. Checkmate. Bozeman is out to fleece the voters.
There is only one conclusion to draw. Leland is violating the present state annexation law, by going to a single developer, asking him for annexation petition, then, giving same developer citizen monies. Quid. Pro. Quo. And, criminal. These are not economic incentives, this is money laundering. All of this is totally approved by Veronica Carter.
What we know of this violaiton of law, is that Leland has given away over 1 million dollars of taxpayer money to their crony developers. Oh but don’t worry, your taxes are going to be low, and there wont be stagnation.
Let’s Recap: The history of this state led to a new law stopping the forced annexation by tyrannical cities. Leland has violated that law by not going to the people who will eventually move into those developments, but has bribed a single developer to petition the town to annex the development. Then the developer gets money from the city. The people move in all included with higher rents because they are paying for higher taxes. Sweet deal huh? Only if you are an approved developer of Leland is that a sweet deal. The people get screwed.8
Liberal Democrat Carter and Roy Cooper
For those who do not know, Carter is a sock puppet of NC Governor and Democrat, Cooper. He has appointed her to a couple of boards, which seems impressive, but is not. Since I am sure many people who have moved here do not know the history of this state, Cooper is a weak public figure, who, after a year, finally stepped in to exonerate the Duke LaCrosse players who were falsely accused of rape by a stripper working at the Bunny Hole gentleman’s club in Durham. Many laud Cooper for coming to their rescue. He called Nifong a “rogue prosecutor.” But I reiterate, it took over a year for him to do anything for the innocent Duke Lacrosse kids, and he did nothing about the prosecutor—Mike Nifong—who tyrannized over these kids falsely accused. It took to the three brave kids accused by him to run him from public service.
A lot of people do not know also, that Cooper’s charming wife likes to flip off people (and kids!) who disagree with her:
Cooper is a Democrat with low energy. Yet he is in the camp of the national party, and the liberal Republicans. This is why many consider Cooper the Tim Calhoun of North Carolina:
This post is getting rather lengthy. I will pause here. Perhaps in the future I will account the McKinley abomination off Poole road that the town and its Mayor in particular fixed to stick it to the residents of Waterford.
I will also end with a rather light plea: if you like any of this and it has been helpful to you—if it has helped develop you own informed opinions about what is happening—consider subscribing. I cannot write these stories for free forever, and it would be appreciated if you supported this page. Legacy media is not going to tell you the truth or even challenge the status quo.
Thank you, and be well.
This deserves a separate post, but look at the over 1 million dollars Leland has paid to developers for the privilege of being annexed: https://townofleland.civicweb.net/document/45269/
Waterford residents, I hasten to note, moved near commercial zoned property ON PURPOSE because they thought it better than high density residential. But Waterford never learned from their mistake in 2012 and never really fought the taking of their land: https://www.wwaytv3.com/waterford-residents-organize-petition-against-rezoning/
More on this at a later date and a separate post.
I tried to tell people of Waterford they needed to mount a virgous defesne, because Leland did the same crap as Belville in development on another side of Waterford—but no one understood—they were still operating on the same political sense that they brought with them from the Northeast. It should be no surprise they lost…again: https://www.wwaytv3.com/apartment-complex-proposed-in-waterford-commercial-area-in-leland/
You in Brunswick Forest better get on alert. Carter wants to totally develop the area around you and she does not want it to be single family homes. She’d love to have a baseball park—you know, like the one in Durham from the 80s-90s that ruined the core of that city.
Morning Star; Wilmington, N.C.. 10 Dec 1998: 2B.
Fennell, Bettie, Morning Star; Wilmington, N.C.. 14 Sep 2001: 4B.
Note the over 3 million given to a timber company! Thank you Leland residents, we will take your hard earned money from you for our aims: https://archive.ph/wCiSh
Erik, where so you live?