BETWEEN THE BYLINES

COLUMN: Expectations for our area office holders

Posted

Happy New Year, everyone, and I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas.

I'm not sure if some of you have heard, but there was some alleged drama at the courthouse when public officials were sworn in on Dec. 16.

The reason I say “alleged” is not to make anyone mad – I just simply was not there to see anything for myself. That is because we have had early deadlines for the past couple of weeks due to the holiday season, and I recently got my wisdom teeth out, so I was planted in my chair at the office making sure everything I needed to get done was done to accommodate for the deadlines and to make up for the lost time I was about to have after my teeth got yanked out of my head.

I had it lined up for someone to take photos of it to send to me in my absence, and my hope was that this would be a regular ol' straightforward swearing in. According to some tips from several people, it was not. Whether what they said was true or not (again, I don't mean to offend), I have not been able to receive comment from some of those involved. Whether they don't care to comment, haven't received my messages or have just ignored them, I do not know. I have received messages from onlookers who were there telling me what they saw, and I appreciate everyone relaying some information to me. I have also heard back from Rebecca Wilkerson, who was sworn in as the first female supervisor in county history, and simply said:

“I am honored to serve the people of Harrison County.”

But, I don't want to talk too much about something I wasn't at without plenty of firsthand quotes, so I hope you'll all forgive me for handling the ordeal in this way instead.

That “instead” is simply stating what our expectations at the newspaper – and what everyone else's expectations should be – are for public officials when they are performing the duties of their office.

Not everyone needs to be best friends, but when conducting the public's business, act like an adult who represents the people. This really is the bare minimum, and I'll be honest with you, the last thing I want to hear about at the newspaper is some drama at the courthouse. I despise politics, and I understand that part of my job is covering it, but I don't need any cherries on top. The political stuff that has to take place and is essential public business is enough for me.

As 2025 begins, we expect area elected officials to maintain and exemplify the level of respect their office holds. Being voted in by the people means something, and not scandalizing them or pursuing personal agendas is part of their responsibility, as well.

Basically, let's all get along well enough to move things forward and have success in Harrison County.

We hope this will be a very fruitful year for the county and every town in it. Thank you for bearing with me through this holiday season, everyone.