Citizens: Put your money where your mouth is

So someone somewhere doesn’t like some of the people the Board of Supervisors panel selected for the Courthouse panel.

Someone has apparently complained and that someone got results. We don’t know their names, their qualifications or their motivations.  All we know is they don’t like the panel.

That sounds like an anonymous complaint to me. As I’ve told dozens of people who wanted me to “do something” about the courthouse,  “Write a letter to the editor.” Most declined because they want to be anonymous.  Is gutless a synonym for anonymous?

First, a disclosure: my brother-in-law is on the Board of Supervisors and my younger brother has been selected for the panel by the board.

“Oh no,” you might say, “they are related.”  So what, both are honorable men who are good at their jobs. Neither has ever given me inside information for an article and I would never ask them to.

When my family moved to Charlotte County, Virginia in 1965 we didn’t have a single relative in Virginia.

When my sister married I suddenly became related to several hundred folks. When I got married that added another hundred or so. In the course of the past 50 years I have developed friendships and have had business relationships with another hundred or so.

Last year there was a family reunion for my grandmother’s family. Four hundred people responded.  A few dozen of them were from Southside and I had no idea we were distantly related. Still, family is family.

That doesn’t mean I can’t publish an unbiased newspaper. Friends and family all know I will put their mug shot on the Messenger front page. The same applies to my children and grandchildren. The same applies to me.

Here’s what is going on.

A lawyer named

representing the Commonwealth of Virginia has filed an objection to the Courthouse panel selected by the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors.

It is all pretty interesting. Until recently state law allowed the judge demanding the citizens to build a new courthouse to select the panel. The citizens had no recourse. Talk about a stacked deck.

Now state law mandates the Board of Supervisors to select the panel. There are no stipulations except three of them must be architects or engineers who cannot be from the same firm. The Charlotte Board did just that.  The credentials of all members selected are impressive to say the least.

The lawyer reasons that in addition to the brother-in law issue, two members of the panel work for the Commonwealth. He says, since the Commonwealth is a party to the suit, they aren’t eligible to serve. When you combine his arguments, anyone who has a relative who works for the Commonwealth of Virginia isn’t eligible to serve on the panel.

Who is left?

My conclusion is this: The Charlotte County Board of Supervisors is mandated by state law to select the panel. They are our elected officials. When I disagree with them I can contact my supervisor or I can address the board. If I don’t get results I can attempt to be elected to the board. If the citizens trust me with the responsibility I will be elected and I will get to make the decisions.

The law is clear. The supervisors select the board and the supervisors will be forced to raise taxes to pay for the courthouse. The time to change the board is Election Day if you choose.

If a judge, an individual or a small group wants to replace the panel selected by the board they need to agree to raise the money to pay for the courthouse.  Remember, with power comes responsibility.

Click here to download the entire document: commonwealth.brief-response-panel (3)