Access crucial for citizens, council

Thank you for the editorial calling attention to the need to change the time of the Salisbury City Council meetings.

Representative government depends on citizen participation in public discourse to identify issues of concern to them. Elected officials’ responsibility is to make themselves open and accessible to the voters who elected them and whom their decisions affect.

That openness and accessibility depend on there being a time and a place where citizens and council members come together so the former has an opportunity to speak and the latter to listen.

Setting meeting times at 4 p.m., when people are at work, and allowing citizens to speak at only one meeting a month constitutes a constraint on participation, as real as voter suppression at the polls. The subtext, intentional or not, is loud and clear: We really don’t want you coming to the meeting and speaking out, so we are going to make it as difficult as possible.

Allowing people to speak freely in a public forum might result in council members hearing something they would rather not listen to. That is the price of free speech and it allows — even invites — the competition of ideas in the free marketplace of thought.

Before moving to Salisbury a year ago, I served as a commissioner and vice mayor in a small town in Georgia for 10 years. Our meetings were held at 7 p.m. Citizens were welcome to speak at every meeting at a time provided on the agenda. Those comments were printed in City Hall’s monthly newsletter along with every motion, second and comment on the commission’s action.

I encourage Salisbury City Council to choose more open and accessible communication by: (1) changing the time of their meetings, and (2) providing a time at every meeting for citizens’ comments and questions.

— Jimmie Moomaw

Salisbury

Proud of the Grove

First of all I want to say “thank you” to the town of China Grove, police, firefighters, town officials and everyone that makes China Grove a better place to live. That you for unanimously voting to put “In God We Trust” on all the town vehicles.

With one of the most caring police departments I know, and one of the most honest and compassionate chiefs, Eddie Kluttz, I am proud and honored to live here. When I saw the “In God We Trust” on the back of the police cars, my heart swelled up with pride and excitement that our town is being run by God-fearing men and women. Then I saw on the news last night that the town might be sued. Oh my goodness! Give me a break!

How soon we forget. Let some tragic event happen — for example, 9/11 — and everyone goes to church and seeks comfort from God. After 9/11, more people attended church in recent history. Kudos, China Grove. Thank you for acknowledging a loving and forgiving God who cares for us all, even if you don’t acknowledge Him.

— Tammy Jordan

China Grove

Tell it like it is

Thank you, Craig Pierce, for having the nerve that it seems nobody else has to point out one of the real problems not only of this county but the whole country.

Seems like everyone is concerned about hurting someone else’s feelings. If someone needs help, we need to help them. But for the ones that want to play the system for what they can get out of it, they need to be stopped.

Craig Pierce and Donald Trump have shown that bringing out the truth attracts more attention than the same old garbage we’ve listened to for so many years from those that are only looking out for themselves.

— Ernest Cowan

Salisbury

Throwing shade

I am saddened that Commissioner Craig Pierce felt the need to belittle a segment of the county population with his defending why the tax base is only 42 percent. I have to ask what he has done, or ask the county employees, to try to collect the two-and-a-half pages of back taxes that are listed in the Salisbury Post every year of businesses being delinquent in their taxes in the county. How much tax is being collected from the trailer parks in Landis, Cleveland and China Grove?

I know Mr. Pierce, and he appears each time I talk to him to be a caring person, but to cite a community were predominately African Americans live is what we call “throwing shade.” When he courts the African American community by giving them pork shoulders and turkeys during the holiday to get their vote, that is less than disingenuous.

To tell people how many children they should have is like Mr. Pierce is the “baby police.” Mr. Pierce has been known to give to those that are less fortunate, but it is like the cow that gives a bucket of milk and then kicks it over. Shame on you, Mr. Pierce!

I would like to thank Commissioner Judy Klusman for standing up for all the county residents, more than the other commissioners did.

— Deedee Wright

Salisbury

Send letters to the editor to letters@salisburypost.com or Letters, P.O. Box 4639, Salisbury, NC 28145.

 

 

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