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The last post ended with a reference to how this whole HOT lanes situation is beginning to take on the trappings of a Shakespearean tragedy, but little did we know that the act would continue so soon.
Davidson Mayor John Woods possesses a flair for the melodramatic, and once again he delivers. The below gem surfaced during our investigation of who exactly requested last week's closed meetings with NCDOT and Spanish tolling firm, Cintra.
"Invade!" Really??? Is that what people are doing when they show up to participate in their government? One would think Atilla the Hun or Ghengis Khan was about to roll into town rather than a few fed up citizens.
In this email, Mayor Woods is referring to last Monday's visit to Davidson Town Hall by Mecklenburg BOCC Chair Trevor Fuller for a meeting that was open to the public. As such, it was a highly stagemanaged affair where Commissioner Fuller dodged any and all HOT lanes questions by claiming ignorance on the subject. NCDOT's Warren Cooksey was also on hand that night. He did not participate but could have served as a good backup to Comm Fuller - just in case some "invaders" (aka citizens) got out of hand and asked some really hard questions of the top county official.
Fortunately, the invaders were well behaved.
Folks, Mayor Woods's email and last Monday's session with BOCC Chair Fuller are prime examples of the "Us vs. Them" mentality of too many of our top elected officials. The "Us" being the establishment ruling class, and the "Them" being the rest of us. If you disagree with certain elected officials, you are labeled as an invader. If you ask hard questions, you will get subterfuge and stonewalling for the effort. If you stand up for what you believe is right, you will be smeared.
This is what the public faces day in and day out from our halls of power.
To be fair, not all of our elected officials act this way. Commissioner Rob Kidwell from Huntersville exposed the planned closed meetings last week on the HOT lanes. Commissioner Dave Gilroy from Cornelius regularly asks hardball questions on important issues. However, silence is acceptance from most. We need many more elected officials to step up and call out this type of behaviour when it occurs.
For elected officials to treat citizens this way is plain and simple bullying, and it needs to stop.
Mr. Woods -- I am disheartened that you see fellow citizens as invaders. You have the opportunity now to do the right thing for your community by representing the vast majority of Davidson citizens who oppose the tolls. Your service on the Board is a few years compared to the 50+ years of tolls and increased congestion. People are pretty forgiving when wrongs have been righted. Will your legacy be of doing the right thing for your constituents or working on behalf of crony capitalism?
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