Ron Brewington, Fayetteville native, husband, father, entrepreneur and successful businessman has been my friend for over four decades. Below is the second article he has submitted to Up & Coming Weekly in 28 years.
I know this because he was the first to write for this newspaper when I created it in 1996, 28 years ago. He loved the idea of a publication promoting and showcasing the Fayetteville community. His article immediately captured the hearts and minds of the entire Fayetteville community, catapulting him to near-celebrity status, resulting in interviews and guest appearances on local radio shows.
His topic? Fayetteville is NOT FayetteNam. In his article, he effectively articulated the many reasons the Fayetteville community needed to actively initiate an aggressive awareness campaign to eliminate the negative FayetteNam moniker so it would not be detrimental or impair the progress, development, and growth of the Fayetteville community.
I credit Brewington for bringing that invaluable awareness to the forefront of community leaders. Fast forward 28 years: Mission accomplished. We need many more concerned and courageous citizens like Ron Brewington who are willing to speak up for the community they love, if for no other reason than to let our city and county elected officials know that we are aware of their actions and they are not operating with impunity.
Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly.
— Bill Bowman

I saw a sign in front of a building on Village Drive: "Coming Soon — Lumbee Bank."
I've heard that Lumbee Bank would be vacating their downtown location. This may confirm that rumor.
This is not good for downtown. Small start-ups come and go, but losing banks on high-profile corners is unsuitable for anyone in the downtown community.
Mayor Mitch Colvin's rooftop restaurant atop Lumbee Bank took forever and a day to open and was only open a few months before closing. Not good.
Huske Hardware House Restaurant has shut down. They'd been there for quite a while. To lose one of downtown’s longest-tenured and significant businesses is devastating.
Across the street, the Prince Charles property is again for sale. Fayetteville City's parking deck next door took over five years to build, and still isn't complete. It isn't ADA-compliant, and the building has no elevator. In addition, there was supposed to be a hotel on top. What's up with that?
And where is the high-end steak house that is supposed to be at the Prince Charles? How do a baseball stadium, a museum and a performing arts center function and succeed without a hotel, bank and sufficient parking?
The success of downtown communities depends on the success of other merchants and businesses. Companies don't locate where parking decks aren't finished or where corporate visitors have no place to stay. It is a lousy location when their staff has to leave the downtown community to get lunch.
Our financial security with the baseball stadium was that the Astros had a long-term lease to pay off the note. I haven't read it, but I bet the city has violated many parts of that lease, giving the Astros the right to walk away.
We need a vibrant downtown. It is essential to the entire city and county. Downtown is a city's image. Downtown Fayetteville has more tenants leaving than entering. The only industry that is growing in downtown Fayetteville is the homeless. A few blocks away is a multi-million-dollar investment to build a resource center for the homeless, while just a few blocks in the other direction is the Department of Social Services. DSS is responsible for that population. Insist that they do their job.
What's the problem? I don't think there's a community commitment to a master plan. I don't even think there is a plan. We're throwing pasta onto the wall, hoping something sticks even if it conflicts with other plans.
Except for Up & Coming Weekly, newspapers and objective journalism no longer exist in a way that holds our elected official's feet to the fire. For the most part, local radio no longer exists, and with over 330,000 residents, Fayetteville community has no local TV station.
No one is asking questions, and our leaders are all too happy to tell us nothing. They have gerrymandered city council districts that give us just one person to hold accountable. I don't know the answer to this BS, but I do know that, Fayetteville should be the third or fourth largest market in North Carolina. Our demographics could make us a desirable and entertaining city with great earning potential. We've squandered many opportunities.
When our young people leave for school, they don't come back. Is there any wonder?
We have a huge investment in our downtown. It is OK to make mistakes, but our leaders need to identify and acknowledge them and get them back on track.
WE CANNOT AFFORD TO FAIL. If we fail now, the decay of downtown Fayetteville will be inevitable.

— Ron Brewington
Fayetteville, NC

(Photo: An aerial photo shows the businesses of Downtown Fayetteville. File photo)