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It’s Independence Day – let’s celebrate in downtown Sylva
It’s shaping up to be another spectacular downtown Fourth of July experience, and we hope everyone will pack Main Street once again for the annual fireworks display.
The Jackson County Recreation and Parks Department is once again in charge of the show, which is a 24-year tradition in Sylva. The Downtown Sylva Association (formerly SPIR) will again assist with the event as it has for the past several years.
If you haven’t ever watched the pyrotechnics dazzle Sylva’s night sky and light up our historic Courthouse, you really don’t know what you’re missing. It’s small-town America in lawn chairs, with everyone in a good mood and smiling at their neighbor.
All those who make the yearly show possible are listed in the Rec Department’s ad on page 14C of this issue. Make a point to tell them “thank you,” because our Fourth of July event truly is the best.
We agree with Rec Deparment Director Jeff Carpenter: “There’s nothing like it.”
School board gets it right by owning up to bad judgment
How nice it feels to have something new to say on the subject of improper closed sessions by local public bodies.
We’ve been on our soapbox for years now, crying in the wilderness about elected officials who flaunt North Carolina’s Open Meetings Law. This week we’re singing a different tune.
We have a school board chairman and members who made a mistake and discussed the terms of a non-employee contract during a closed session. This is well-known territory for those of us who make a habit of observing public meetings. The happy news is that we’ve got a new verse for this familiar song.
When asked why school officials discussed their attorney’s contract during a closed session, Chairman Ken Henke said the school board was wrong to do so. Superintendent Sue Nations agreed that an error had been made and released the draft minutes from the portion of the closed session that dealt with the contract.
How refreshing to have elected officials willing to admit and take responsibility for a lapse in judgment. What a great way to celebrate the principles on which our nation was founded.
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