Without more cooperation, we’ll never get anywhere
After reading the Jan. 17 articles in the Post, I’ve concluded some county commissioners might benefit from attending school-parent meetings on bullying. It appears the Board of Education is being bullied by a commissioner on the subject of meetings (who can attend, whether open or closed to the media or public) or dealing with the big issue of consolidating the school administrative offices downtown.
I’d hoped that we had elected progressive individuals who would unite the Board of Education, County Commission and City of Salisbury into a cohesive group working together for the benefit of all and finally get the never-ending issue of the centralized office moving to completion. Instead, we get bullying. It appears that it’s a “my way or no way” situation. Or it’s closed meetings and the media cannot attend, nor can the public. Why? Something to hide? Everything should be open to the media and the public. We pay for it. Then when a meeting is held, it’s terminated in 15 minutes.
Enough is enough. This kind of behavior only makes things far worse. We’ll never accomplish anything requiring mutual cooperation. The relationships between these governing bodies has been sour far too long. And the centralized office issue has been going on for as long as I can remember. All we have is a big hole in the ground on Main Street and terribly frustrated school officials. Why can’t everyone just get along?
I wonder what outsiders must think after reading the nonsense going on, especially by companies thinking of locating here. We’ll never grow and prosper if we can’t get along or work together solving issues and agreeing on what must be done to move this county forward. For the benefit of our citizens, stop the bullying, shake hands and provide the leadership this county deserves and build the office now when it’s economically feasible to do so. Further delay will only cost us more.
— Donald Schumacher
Salisbury
Only the best for board
People obviously don’t understand how critical our School Board is to our everyday lives.
Some say the board should work out of “mobile homes stacked on top of one another.” I’d never propose having our irreplaceable School Board work out of mobile homes. They’re not secure and the cheaply made walls and doors wouldn’t stop a determined person for more than a minute or two. Visit any elementary school in the area if you need a tour to prove my point. Who could expect our School Board to be subjected to such treatment? Those kindergartners are young and small. They don’t need as much space as adults and probably don’t even notice the steps move when they climb into their schoolhouse every morning.
Another unreasonable statement is for the School Board to move into the Salisbury Mall. First off, when the Salisbury Mall closes we will need a place for vagrants and criminals to congregate. It’s large, so there should never be a need for expansion. When visitors to our fair city arrive or we’re trying to attract businesses, we can drive them past this eyesore and show them what the lack of their tax dollars looks like. This centrally located building is easy for everyone to access since there’s plenty of parking. Also, the mall is over 20 years old. I’m not sure how we can expect School Board members to occupy a building expected to disintegrate at any moment. Look at Cleveland Elementary, built in 1927. It’s good enough for children, but we can’t expect our School Board to inhabit an old building.
They deserve the best. I say we put them right downtown within walking distance of restaurants, governmental buildings and shops. Who cares if it’s some of the most expensive real estate in the county? They provide a valuable service to our community. They can and do function without worrying about the children, but can the children function without them?
— Michelle Condra
Cleveland
It’s not hard to understand
Regarding the state’s open-meetings law:

I don’t think you have to be a lawyer to understand this …
§ 143-318.10. All official meetings of public bodies open to the public.
(d)“Official meeting” means a meeting, assembly, or gathering together at any time or place or the simultaneous communication by conference telephone or other electronic means of a majority of the members of a public body for the purpose of conducting hearings, participating in deliberations, or voting upon or otherwise transacting the public business within the jurisdiction, real or apparent, of the public body. However, a social meeting or other informal assembly or gathering together of the members of a public body does not constitute an official meeting unless called or held to evade the spirit and purposes of this Article.
This is not going away!
— Dwayne Dvoracek
Salisbury