Roughly one year ago, Governor Cooper declared a state of emergency regarding COVID-19, and while an emergency is typically seen as a momentary crisis, this has been harnessed into the “new normal”, expanding bureaucratic control over citizens’ lives for an alarming period of time. Regardless of the continued state of emergency, our local officials are holding themselves to a different standard. The Kinston City Council and Lenoir County School Board continue to meet outside of their chambers and only through Facebook or Zoom. Are they afraid for their safety while asking their staff to be dismissive of their own? Are they worried about facing parents and the community in a real public forum again?

Mutual respect and communication

Councilman Sammy Aiken and I served together for 6 years. We probably disagreed on only about 5% of matters before our board. I'd attest it was largely because we rarely got caught up in national politics on a local level.

Haters gon' hate. And, they don't pay your bills.

One of our employees received some negative comments on social media...the kind of negative comments that aren't constructive. We call these keyboard warriors "haters". Having served 8 years in public office and several more in public life haters are everywhere. How you choose to handle these people will have a great impact on your psyche and productivity.