All Politics is Local

Friends and Neighbors,

Being aware of our surroundings has always been good advice when traveling out of town. Sadly, however, we’re now being advised to do the same here at home–when we pump gas, dine out, go shopping or just walking the dog. Violent crime and drug trafficking is a serious problem in Forsyth County. In 2023 there were 55 homicides and more than 1,000 drug overdoses. Stunningly, the war on law enforcement officers is unprecedented.

In March 2023, a crime of a different nature occurred at Forsyth Technical Community College. The campus “Pride Club” threw a Pride Fest celebration offering free pizza and soft drinks during lunch hour. The advertised entertainment was a professional drag queen show featuring three dancers. Invitations went out to students as young as 14 years old who attend special classes. During the show, a teenage girl was told to sit on a folding chair and close her eyes. One of the dancers approached her and performed a lewd lap dance touching her. She was shocked and embarrassed. Someone recorded it on their cellphone and It went viral, making national and international news. Strangely, the dancer nor the campus Pride Club was held accountable. That’s a serious moral problem.

On March 5, a primary election will be held. Three Republican board members’ terms are expiring in District B. All three incumbents have served for decades. One was elected in 1980, the others in 1994 and 1996. After attending several County Board meetings and witnessing the difficulties that two of them had in understanding the proceedings or articulating the few questions they seldom ask, I felt a responsibility, if not a call to duty, to run for this important office. It’s time for fresh ideas and new leadership on behalf of you–the taxpayer. The county has an annual budget of $569 million. If it were a corporation, it would hire the best and most qualified, and I firmly believe I’m that candidate.

I’ve already made a difference on the County Board and how they run meetings. After attending several sessionas, I noticed their “voice-vote” was difficult to hear. All that could be heard was mumbling from some of the commissioners, followed by the Board Chairman saying, “Motion passes” or “Motion fails.” In my opinion, this wasn’t good enough. We can’t presume that if a commissioner doesn’t say “NO” that in silence it means “YES.” Is it possible the commissioner is “Abstaining” because he or she doesn’t want to go on record concerning a controversial issue?