Leading Rowan County in the wrong direction
Over the past two months a select group of commissioners ó the “gang of three” ó has taken action that resulted in a loss of $1 million in potential revenue from the proposed Christmas lights initiative and voted to leave the Council of Government ó an organization that has generated $1,029,199 in federal and state aging related funds, plus an additional $1,740,398 in federal funding invested in our community through workforce development. This $2,769,597 is generated at a cost to the county in COG membership of $34,122. From any business perspective this is a superb return on that investment.I would ask Mr. Ford, Mr. Mitchell and Ms. Hall where they propose to find replacements for this funding. Perhaps Ms. Hall would suggest that we can do it with our present county staff, as she intimated in the light debacle. I would suggest that this membership fee is a salary level of $11.37 an hour, which I suspect would represent an entry level position and one that has neither the time nor the knowledge of federal programs necessary to generate this amount of funding.
It is disconcerting that in a year when our county unemployment rate is approaching 14 percent the “gang of three” does not have time to spend on planning for our future but can spend over 45 minutes interrogating Mr. Miller on an initial request to explore holiday lights and then spent an additional 30 minutes and the cost to have the Institute for Government assist in developing a resolution against a fellow commissioner when N.C. statute 143-318-10 section D states that it is an issue “only when a majority of members from a public body are present,” and I don’t believe five mayors constitute a majority. Could this be a pre-election year stunt on the part of one of the commissioners and her mentor?
ó William C. Carter
Salisbury
Cherished parade moment
Thanks to the Salisbury fireman who made a 5-year-old boy very happy during the Christmas parade!
Zachary spent his school holiday with me and got his clothes very muddy playing. The only other clothes at my house were his firefighter outfit, complete with boots and reflective stripes.
At the parade, as the Salisbury Fire Department passed with the firemen in full uniform ahead of the fire truck, one of the men broke ranks when he spotted this miniature fireman. He came over and asked it the boy could walk along. Of course I let him go and said I would walk along on the sidewalk. I moved ahead to take a picture. Unfortunately, after a short time Zachary’s aunt missed me and “rescued” her nephew, unaware that he was marching by invitation.
I missed my photograph, but will always cherish the picture in my memory of a happy little boy marching with Salisbury’s finest.
ó Karen Young
Salisbury