Changes in NCSPA Leadership and Port Focus
Although his term as Chairman extended into 2016, Stewart's early resignation from the NCSPA Board was announced on Aug. 23, 2012 Also announced at that time was the appointment of Tom Bradshaw as the Executive Director of Port Authority, the position formerly held by Tom Eagar. With Stewart's departure from NCSPA, there are no remaining elected or appointed officials at the federal or state level (excluding outgoing governor Perdue) who advocate spending more taxpayer dollars in pursuit or evaluation of the megaport proposal; and there are still no private entities expressing any interest for investing in the megaport.
On Aug. 29, 2012, Governor Perdue appointed state Rep. Danny McComas, a Republican in his final term and resident of Wilmington, as chairman of the NCSPA Board of Directors, replacing Carl Stewart. Rep. McComas stated that the megaport project is "not on my radar screen. I don't see that going anywhere in the near future."
While this combination of circumstances would seem to doom the prospects for the megaport proposal, the 600-acre parcel originally purchased in 2005 is still owned by the NCSPA and remains available for such industrial development.
Read more about this topic: North Carolina International Port
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