To the Editor,

The Lumbee Indian commissioners, with Mr. Raymond Cummings in the lead, joined in a unanimous vote to ignore the people of Philadelphus and endorse a permit that allows sand mining.

Why is this suspect? It’s all in the politics.

— Attorney Gary Hunt’s presentation implied the people were informed. How do you explain the Philadelphus citizens most affected having not been contacted by the LLC and the majority of citizens in the broader Philadelphus community are not informed? It’s the failure of the commissioners through incompetence or intent to hide the true facts of the case. Mr. Cummings failed personally to engage and inform his constituents along Richland swamp.

— Phil Locklear asked “who is my neighbor?” Attorney Hunt delivered an eloquent dissertation in a failed attempt to define our LLC neighbor. The commissioners failed to seize the opportunity and demand a more thorough explanation. The commissioners abdicated their responsibility to inquire from either incompetence or prior coordination with the LLC.

— Attorney Hunt presented financial data showing benefits for power and gas companies, county revenues, and 36 jobs. Again, the commissioners failed their citizens. Through incompetence or having inside privileged information, they failed to inquire about the profits to be generated for the LLC, who would benefit, and at what cost to the Philadelphus community.

— In the end, Commissioners Cummings, Noah Woods and Roger Oxendine failed all citizens of Robeson County through negligence or incompetence by not responding to a simple request from the Philadelphus citizens “to delay their approval and have the Department of Commerce conduct an independent review … .”

The actions of the commissioners, led by Mr. Cummings, clearly show that our elected officials chose outside and undefined outsiders under the cover of an LLC over their constituents. If this is the norm for managing county business based on the premises that the people don’t care or are not smart enough to follow through, they are wrong. The citizens are conducting a detailed campaign plan to replace those who have lost touch with their constituents.

Location of burial grounds of Native Americans, Virginia Dare, a son of the Revolution, and land where the Revolutionary War battle of Raft Swamp began are of no concern to our Lumbee commissioners. Assault, burn, pillage is their message.

Lynn Locklear

Prospect