In my last post, I said that I would have more to say about the last meeting of the Wythe County Board of Supervisors on February 8, and I will. Before I do that though, I’m trying to do due diligence and develop an informed opinion. The issues raised at that meeting are too important to the citizens of this county for me to be flippant, or just stand back and throw rocks. In the past week, I have talked to dozens of people including current and past board members from both sides of the political spectrum, state, county, and city officials, county employees, local businessmen, and rank and file voters. I’ve been reading the minutes of past board meetings, looking at numerous websites, and comparing the ways other governing bodies in SW Virginia disseminate information. I’m currently immersed in reading the county’s comprehensive plan. Developing an informed opinion is taking a lot longer than I thought.
The picture that is emerging is one of an often inept board of supervisors who are subject to manipulation and utilize loopholes in the law to make many important decisions in secret. It is a board that, for the most part, appears to be easily intimidated with little or no control over a county manager who has been described to me by various elected officials and businessmen as “vindictive,” “a control freak,” and other less flattering terms. It is a picture of a misguided county administration with questionable priorities. As an example I offer the expenditure of millions of dollars to create a speculative footprint in Progress Park while children in this county attend classes in crumbling facilities that include broken plumbing, windows bowed out of their frame, and a windowless room with mold on the ceiling.
This is just plain wrong.
As far as the raises for Stephen Bear and Cellell Dalton, they appear to be a done deal. You can expect the supervisors to approve them at their next meeting, which should take place February 22 at 9:00 am.
As I learn more, I will let you know. In the meantime I will continue to write about the food, culture, and folk ways of Wythe County and the Mountain Empire, the place we call home.
would you buy a used car from this man?
Forgive me if I’m misinformed, but didn’t the town drop around a million bucks to remodel a sidewalk last year? If that is true, it looks like they could afford to invest in their own citizens food supply, ie. a permanent Farmer’s Market. With the budget they have, why not buy up RP Johnson’s? If needed, then turn around and sell the building to recover some cost and let the town folk have access to the vending area. Best case, keep the building and open it as a store for locally grown foods during the cooler months, even some form of a restaurant for locally grown foods. Heck, why not be a good sport and buy some much-needed advertising in the local papers while they’re at it. It sure would be nice to see the town supporting its local food supply and sustainable food economy a bit.
I wondered if you might put a link on your blog for this webpage. The county is withholding funds from the Humaine Society for the pet friendly car license tags, probably 3 years worth of funds and they make the humaine society pay for dogs they save from the shelter, this is against virginia code. We need all the exposure we can get
I’ll be glad to. I sent you an email