Publisher's note: Warren Smith's famous "Dear Commissioner" letters has been replaced with this (Dear) Mr. Tom Thompson letter. When Warren floats these inquisitive notes, he generally wants answers. When members of the community want answers, they need to be answered.

   To that effect, we will report what answers are offered as soon as they are offered.

Mr. Tom Thompson
Economic Development Commission
705 Page Road
Washington, NC

Mr. Thompson,         December 7, 2011

    In an email on May 23, 2011, explaining your strategy concerning the Quick Start II Building, you wrote:

    "... a very large number (86% according to one study done several years ago) of prospective industries ask for buildings."

    On December 4, 2011, Tom Richter, speaking in a paid advertisement for the Committee of 100 published in the Washington Daily News, repeated this same statistic, "86% of prospects want to buy a building." Based on the above quoted study, Mr. Richter went on to recommend a Quick Start III project. Since this study continues to form EDC policy, I would like to know if it is still relevant or if its assumptions have become outdated since the collapse in real estate. The situation does seem changed by both the number of days QSII has remained unsold and the fact that the Brooks Boat Works building is also for sale. Will you please send me a copy of the study in question? If a copy is unavailable please send me a reference citation, year the study was published and the author's name.

    In the same interview, Mr. Richter commented, "The main goal of economic development is to bring money into a county and to keep money from going out of the county." Can you please detail the amount of grant money that the EDC has brought into Beaufort County from outside sources since 2006 and the amount of money that has been paid to contractors from outside of Beaufort County, i.e., construction, suppliers, consulting, etc., as well as, non-county-resident staff in those same years? Does EDC have a positive flow of funds into the county?

    On December 6, the Washington Daily News reported that Beaufort County continues to remain a Tier 1 county. You mentioned that the silver lining in this designation consists in the fact that "... the county is eligible for grants that do not have to be matched with local funds." If this is true then why are we being required to provide a matching $95,000 for the A&E project at the industrial park? You also were quoted as saying, " ...being a Tier 1 county, it does make it easier to recruit." What new companies have been successfully recruited from outside of Beaufort County since 2006? How many full-time jobs are these companies maintaining at present?

    For how many consecutive years has Beaufort County been a Tier 1 county?

Thank you,
Warren Smith
601 Shorewood Drive
Washington, NC 27889