Petition seeks to make changes to Cape Carteret government

CAPE CARTERET, Carteret County — People in Cape Carteret want to make some changes to their local government.

A petition has been started to decide the way the government will be run in the future. Terri Asby and Tom Ruddiman have helped form a petition they hope will be put on the ballot to vote on in May in the state primary or in November in the general election.

"I think that it's only fair that the people take back the town government and let them know that we are really the ones in charge," Asby said.

Over the last few weeks, the small town of Cape Carteret has seen some major changes, including the way its local government operates. Those changes included giving more power to the current town administrator, Zach Steffey, in becoming a government council manager. That gives Steffey hiring and firing authority over staff.

"We felt that collectively the town should have a voice in the changing of the town charter," said Ruddiman.

To showcase the community's voice, Asby and Ruddiman started a petition calling for a referendum on whether those changes should be implemented.

"We went door to door knocking with our friends and neighbors and just asked them would you like this to be the vote of the people," Asby said. "If so, we just ask you sign the petition whether you are for it or against the change of our town charter. This should still be the vote of the people."

The petition received more than 200 signatures from the community. The mayor said the town has been operating under a mayor council form. Some people want a council manager form.

"The manager form of government would take the commissioners out of the day-to-day operations of the government, which we think that's a good thing because the manager has been trained professionally to run a government where a lot of the elected officials have not," said Cape Carteret mayor David Fowler.

Fowler said the town will continue to function no matter what decision is made.

"The people went through a process that enabled them to have a say in this matter and I think that it's a good thing if it passes and we go manager form of government," Fowler said. "That's good. If it doesn't pass, then we will accept the process and go forward from there."

Officials said the town's Board of Commissioners are now waiting to set a time frame for when the referendum could happen. They expect that date to be chosen at their next appointed meeting in two weeks.