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Public commenter criticizes Rebuild NC; county manager reviews upcoming events and NACo meetings

Craven County Board of Commissioners · March 3, 2026

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Summary

David French used public comment to criticize the state Rebuild NC program and urged county action; the county manager summarized upcoming county government month events, an Economic Development Partnership visit, and takeaways from the NACo conference. The board moved into closed session on property acquisition and pending litigation after reports.

During the citizen petition period, David French of 104 Johnson Street delivered an extended public comment criticizing the stateRebuild NC program, recounting local hurricane-recovery struggles, naming state officials and urging Craven County to demand that disaster recovery return to county-level management or pursue legal action. French said thousands remained displaced years after Hurricane Florence and accused state officials and agencies of failing survivors; he named individuals by direct accusation. The board cut his time after an extended statement and interaction at the dais.

After public comment, the county manager (name not provided in the record) gave a report summarizing upcoming County Government Month recognitions in April, announced that the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina board will meet in Craven County with industry tours and a board meeting at the DoubleTree, and reviewed takeaways from a recent National Association of Counties (NACo) conference, including federal engagement on data centers, property-tax issues and transportation and infrastructure priorities. The manager also noted recent meetings with federal partners and the county's legislative delegation.

At the meeting's end, the board voted to enter closed session under North Carolina statutes cited in the record to discuss potential acquisition of rural property and attorney-client privileged pending litigation (Craven County v. William and Margaret Butler). The county attorney provided the statutory citations on the record before the motion was adopted.