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Amid town hall debate, Stokesdale councilman resigns

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Friday, August 21, 2009

(Updated 9:38 am)

By Tiffany S. Jones
Staff Writer

With two years left in his term as a Stokesdale town councilman, Norman Cook handed in his resignation after Thursday night's meeting.

"I don't want anything else to do with it," Cook said after the meeting.

During Thursday's meeting, several residents spoke in opposition of moving forward with the town's plan to build a town hall.

Cook agreed with them.

"I've been against this town hall from the beginning," he said.

Cook also said that he has received nearly 30 e-mails and letters from residents about the town's plan to move forward with constructing the town hall.

Nearly all of the e-mails were against moving forward with plans, he said. And the council is not listening to these residents, he said.

"We're whipped before we start," Cook said. "You've got this handful of people, who were elected, who are for this and the residents who are against it."

These concerns have carried over from a special called meeting on Aug. 13 when the council voted unanimously to put the project out for contractors to bid on construction costs.

The architects estimated that the current site plan could be built for about $1.4 million. The town won't know exactly how much it will cost to have the town hall built until construction bids start coming in for the project.

"We won't know how much we're going to spend until we know how much it costs," Councilwoman Cheryl Steele said during the meeting.

Contact Tiffany S. Jones at tiffany.jones@news-record.com

Accompanying Photos

Photo Caption: Norman Cook

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pragmatist

August 21, 2009 - 9:39 am EDT

I don't live in Stokesdale and I don't know any of the facts of this issue, so I won't comment on the issue itself. But I will comment on this gentleman's abrupt resignation: if you don't like something, you just quit? Why not stand your ground and fight for your beliefs? "I don't want anything else to do with it!". Waaa. "We've got this handful of people who were elected..." Right. They were elected, hello. When the going gets tough, the tough... really do get going, I guess- right back to momma's place.

countryboy

August 21, 2009 - 11:58 am EDT

Very insightful.

novel

August 21, 2009 - 10:43 am EDT

Wait. He got "nearly 30 e-mails and letters" and "nearly all" were against plans to build a town hall? Council members aren't listening to these people? How many people live in Stokesdale? 50? I think it's many more than that, so 20-some people don't constitute any kind of majority that isn't being heard.

whyus

August 21, 2009 - 12:22 pm EDT

Isn't this the guy who wanted to sell some land to Stokedale for the Town Hall and they said no?

taxfree

August 21, 2009 - 2:57 pm EDT

And 30 people would be a crowd at a Stokesdale Town Council meeting. For 3 years, the Mayor has told those protesting, that the majority of citizens want to spend 25% of it's coffers for a town hall, built on a dead end street, with a big office, for the Mayor. Funny how the majority never brings up why it is taking so long to get a new town hall. Me thinks the majority may have changed their minds.

taxfree

August 21, 2009 - 3:01 pm EDT

And Mr. Cook has had health issues for many months, now, and has only stayed on the council, at the begging of citizens that don't want taxes in Stokesdale. We applaud him for sticking with it as long as he did.

pragmatist

August 21, 2009 - 4:32 pm EDT

I wish the man well with his health.

taxfree

August 21, 2009 - 3:05 pm EDT

And he has no land he is trying to sell the town. Other citizens have offered the town space for a larger facility, at the same cost as the monthly expenses of the proposed new building. $1.4++ down the drain, Hello propety taxes.