Political Ironies Never Cease To Exist

Politics is full of many things. Replace "many things" in that sentence and you can probably come up with dozens of responses--most of them bad. Irony can run the spectrum from funny to horrifying. By definition it is a little of both and politics is overflowing with ironic episodes. The following 2 items from our last Board of Aldermen meeting do not meet those extremes, but they're good to note just the same. It's also part of Ken's excellent adventure as a public official. The learning never stops.

Southport has been without a Director of Tourism since the first part of April 2010. We've been aware the position would be vacant since the board retreat in January 2010. Based on public comments at the board meetings, and letters to the editor in the State Port Pilot, some folks didn't know we had a Director of Tourism and were against "adding" the staff position. Since that time a committee was formed to create a job description for an enhanced position of Director of Tourism and Economic Development. Both of these areas are intertwined and intimately related.

A yawn or a holler?

Currently there is no person or agency responsible for bringing in new businesses and helping our existing businesses in Southport. The Brunswick County Economic Development agency is mostly concerned with industrial development, particularly in the Northeastern corner of our county. BC Tourism is concerned with beaches and golf.  Southport is history, atmosphere, shopping and dining. We also need more overnight visitors. Hence the decision to create this staff position from the previous one that is still in the budget.

The question of authorizing the City Manager to seek candidates and hire a Director of Tourism and Economic Development has come up before the board at least 2 times since the committee made its recommendations (and the job description) in July. Both times it has been postponed, and the need for such a position in Southport has been questioned. If you doubt that we need someone to help draw folks to Southport year around, please speak with a local merchant.

At our December board meeting I put the item on the agenda, but I failed to label it as an action item (my bad!). When I realized the error, and received a valid concern from a fellow Alderman, I withdrew my motion and  put it on the agenda for January 13, 2011. At that meeting, after endorsements from myself and Alderman Boguskie, the motion passed unanimously! And never was heard a discouraging word from the mayor or the board. Absolutely nothing had changed since it was brought up in July, but apparently by January 13, 2011 everything was cool.

The other item was a complete and absolute shock to my system.

The Rescue Squad had asked for $1,000 in order to apply for a grant to help them purchase a new ambulance. The current one is from 1990 and is borderline dangerous to drive at the speed limit, well into dangerous if driven at the higher speed required for most rescue uses. In July 2010 the Rescue Squad made the same request, except that they had 2 grant possibilities that would have a total cost of $1,500 if they got the grants. It was opposed by the mayor and 3 board members because the mayor wanted to see if the county would take over our Rescue Squad as part of a report he was compiling about paying taxes to the county and the city for the same services (the Rescue Squad being one). OK, so don't let our existing squad try to get some money for an ambulance because of the possibility--remote in my mind--that the county would take them over? Wouldn't they still need the ambulance? If the county took over wouldn't they pay for the grants in order to get the money for a new ambulance?  I saw no downside whatsoever, so the response of the mayor and the board was puzzling to me.

Alderman Boguskie and I met with Brunswick County Emergency Services EMS Division Director Brian Watts, who told us that having the county take over the Southport Rescue Squad was extremely remote for financial reasons, and because the squad had improved greatly over the past few years.


After that meeting, I brought the issue up again at the next board meeting. I was chastised for bringing up items that had been previously decided, but I felt the new information from the county EMS would have an effect on how the aldermen voted. AND even if the county took over the rescue squad the grants could be helpful, or we could pull out of the process at any time. The opportunity to get free money for such an important item was worth going through the process.  If they didn't get the grant(s), it would cost the city nothing.  Again, the vote was 3 to 3 and the mayor broke the tie by voting against allowing the Rescue Squad to apply for the grants.


I was flabbergasted that the board and the mayor would not allow these grant requests to move forward.


Low and behold, at our January 13, 2011 meeting, the mayor placed an item on the agenda that night:  a request by the Rescue Squad to apply for a grant to help them purchase a new ambulance (the second grant's deadline had passed, so only one other grant was available--cutting the odds in half). The mayor went on to say many of the same things I said to the aldermen in vain at 2 previous meetings. Now the mayor was solidly behind the Rescue Squad even though the discussions to have the county take it over have yet to begin. The result was a unanimous vote in favor of allowing them to apply for the grant.

In both cases I will certainly not complain about the results (except the delay caused the Rescue Squad to miss an additional grant opportunity). I suppose the collective board members and the mayor needed the extra time to process the information and come to a decision with which they felt comfortable. 


Maybe they just didn't want to hear it from me (a distinct possibility).
Whatever the case, like most things in politics there is no easily identifiable reason for what goes on.

Effective Citizen Participation in City Government

Here's a very common scenario in elected representative government; The citizens elect a new official (alderman, mayor, president, whatever). That person (the elected official) goes on to take positions and promote policies that some citizens don't like.  The citizen response is to berate that elected representative in public and threaten them with defeat when re-election time comes.  Now the citizens who elected this person, rather than engage in any sort of meaningful discussion with the elected official, focus on their anger and pounce on anything that might make that official look bad--even if it means altering the facts just a bit. The irate citizen winds up voting for someone new in the next election just to get the incumbent out of office.  Their vote is against someone rather than in favor of someone else with no knowledge of how local government works..

"Throw the bums out" can seem like a reasonable position, but it's a very lazy one.  It assumes that the unknown entity is better suited for the job than the person who has held the office for 2-4 years and may have spent a good deal of time and energy learning to be a good respresentative.  Might that new, inexperienced person hold some beliefs with which you disagree?  What will you do then?  Toss him/her out and put in another inexperienced candidate?  There is no elected representative--or person, for that matter--with whom you agree 100% of the time.  I may even put those odds at 75%.

Hopefully you can see that this can be an endless cycle of futility.  It also lets the citizen take the easy way out because all they have to do is complain and vote.  But a citizen's responsibility does not begin and end at the ballot box. Even if you are surrounded by elected officials with whom you disagree, there are more constructive ways of making them aware of your feelings and ideas. You may even be able to find some common ground with this heretofore despicable politician and actually help accomplish something for the benefit of our city.

Personally engage your elected officials:  A huge advantage of living in a small community like Southport is that it's easy to meet with your local representatives.  If you're shy, e-mail and telephone are available but nothing beats a face to face chat.  You can also organize a group of like-minded citizens for this purpose.  If you enter that engagement with an open mind you'll often see that you both have the same goals in mind regarding Southport and how to make it an even better place to live.  You may also agree to disagree, but at least you will have made your points clear to the official and he/she has a chance to provide information to you about your concerns.  The official can explain how you can become involved in the issues you feel most strongly about--whether or not you agree with him/her.  You can also seek out another representative who might share your views.  Southport has 6 aldermen, and therefore 6 different opinions and ideas on how to solve the city's problems. Engage each of them and see if you can find a way to achieve your goals with the existing leaders.

Seek a committee appointment:  Southport has a number of committees, commissions and boards with positions for citizens. Three of them (The ABC Board, the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Adjustment) are composed entirely of citizens.  Our current committees include Beautification, Electric, Sewer and Water, Transportation and Roads, Fire, Tourism and Economic Development, Forestry, Parks & Recreation, Ft. Johnston, and an ad hoc group formed to revise Southport's animal control ordinances for better protection from pet abuse and negligence.  We also have one position on the Brunswick County Airport Commission, and the North Carolina 4th of July Celebration uses many local volunteers for setting policies, planning, and producing our city's biggest event .  If you feel there should be a committee in an area where none exists now, present your idea to the Board of Aldermen and see if you can get it officially recognized.  Chances are good that you can help get it formed and functional.

If you're interested in joining a committee, board or commission please contact our City Clerk, Regina Alexander, in person at City Hall, by e-mail at regina_alexander@southportnc.org or by phone at 457-7929.

Work through your local non-profit group:  Many non-profit groups have donated or volunteered on projects for which the city lacks resources.  Non-profits can also pursue grants and help the city get the resources it needs, for instance, to spruce up Waterfront Park--or get some decent restrooms there.  We're a small town with very limited resources and potential streams of income.  There are a number of projects that are ideally suited to one or more of the local clubs and organizations.  Even if you're not officially organized, there is a way for any person or group to assist the city.  Think about it and approach one of your elected officials, or present your idea at the Board of Aldermen's meeting by getting on the agenda.  This can be done by contacting our City Clerk, Regina Alexander (see above for contact information).  The request should be 2 weeks before the scheduled meeting with all relevant written materials provided no later than one week before.

I have not covered all the possibilities for citizen involvement, but hopefully you can spot the pattern: work with the city and the elected officials, not against them.  Be constructive in your approach, not destructive. After a year in which communication and cooperation among the members was lacking, The Board of Aldermen have taken up the mantle of working together on our common goals rather than bickering over relatively minor issues.  We certainly do not agree on everything, but we owe it to our citizens to work as a team.  It is my greatest hope that the good citizens of Southport will join us.