To the editor:

It seems that the four Republican BOC members are having a very difficult time doing the people’s business in a transparent manner.

They seem to think they were “elected” to run roughshod over anyone who doesn’t agree with their official and unofficial actions. Why else do they want to curtail free speech only when the people have recently begun to speak out publicly criticizing their behavior?

Why else do they have “closed meetings” when no specific employee issue is addressed, (unless you count the recent hiring of Robert Williamson?

Why else have this group of BOC members decided to cut short the amount of time citizens have the opportunity to express their concerns about what the current board has done and continues to do to quash citizen input or to allow it only after the majority members have already taken action?

Perhaps one of the positive effects of this board’s actions has been that more Polk County residents, who are concerned about the undemocratic actions of this board, are getting involved in their own government.

Instead of trying to stifle this involvement, one would think that these people would be encouraged by citizen input, including those who are critical of their official and unofficial acts. But that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Ted Owens and others on the BOC who tout their “business” experience as a reason to vote for them, might need to recall that those businesses usually have their managers conduct annual “performance appraisals”. Sometimes when the managers realize that the employee refuses to perform the job he’s/she’s being paid to do; the manager has to “let them go”.

Based on what I’m hearing, the “citizen managers” of Polk County, have decided that 4 of the 5 BOC members may need to begin looking for other jobs.

 

Neb Conner 

Tryon, N.C.