Going along to get along is not always the way to go …

 

Concerned Citizens of Pinehurst, and others, have expressed concern about the reappointment of appointed incumbent Mark Parson to the Pinehurst Village Council.  Newly-elected councilman John Strickland expressed concern about rushing forward on the appointment without conducting a thorough search for potential appointees.

Instead of having a thoughtful debate on the matter,  debate was shut down and supporters of Queen Nancy have instructed opponents of the Parson reappointment to shut up and just take it.

I was proud of my friend John Strickland for speaking his mind on the matter, even though it put him in a minority of ONE.  However, instead of sticking to his guns, Strickland went ahead and voted FOR what he had just spoken AGAINST. That was disappointing.

People voted FOR John and the other winners in November, expecting them to truthfully voice their positions and ACT ON THEM.  If you find yourself on the losing end of  a 4-1 or 3-2 vote, it’s OK to hold your ground.  It’s OK to try and meet the other side somewhere in the middle on some things.  But don’t VOTE FOR something you honestly think is a bad idea.  You weren’t voted in to rubber stamp everything with your colleagues.  You were voted in to carefully examine the issue, and make decisions based on the positions you took in the campaign.

Don’t stifle dissent.  It is an important part of democracy.  Our government was designed to produce a lot of split votes. Places like CUBA and VENEZUELA and NORTH KOREA function on A LOT of unanimous votes in government meetings.

Speak your mind.  Stick to your principles. Work hard with your colleagues to try to do SOMETHING positive for residents.  But don’t cave in and vote with everybody else just because you don’t want to be on the down side of a 4-1 vote.  Being all by yourself doesn’t necessarily mean you are wrong.