Small Town

Scams have been in the news lately. With the holidays about to roll up on us,  fraudulent activity also picks up speed.

Senior citizens are particularly vulnerable to phone-related scams involving Medicare plans at this time of year. November 15- December 31 is the open enrollment/changeover time if people wish to change their drug prescription plans.

However, one scam that everyone 18 and older should be aware of is the Jury Duty telephone scam.

The court systems do not call you to “verify” anything. NEVER give out personal information over the telephone.

If they want you –they send a sheriff’s deputy with a warrant to pick you up.  

There were some bright spots in the Municipal elections yesterday. 

Two new people were elected to council — Martha Stowe and Ron Foulk. One incumbent, Charlie Flowers returned to office.

Congratulations to the new and returning council members. However, the dynamic does not change al that much.

Becky Burch was replaced by an ally in Ron Foulk. His positions on growth management  are still fuzzy and we wonder if his job responsibilities may interfer with his ability to be an effective member of council. He is a vert smart and articulate administrator and that pleases all of us, because he will take the time to read and research issues that come before council – not blindly vote as directed by others. As a community, we encourage you to watch Mr. Foulk carefully on issues such as city personnel and public safety, strategic planning, view points on annexation-related services and timelines. A person can do a lot of damage in 4 years.

Charlie Flowers’ support has diminished in this election, earning only 556 votes this time around. The overall turnout and number of candidates certainly contributed to the number. We hope that he would have promised to stay awake through the council meetings and work sessions in return for his re-election bid, but he didn’t offer that to the voters. It is difficult to see if he will still carry his chip on the shoulder towards newcomers to the community or if he will embrace the positives that come with planned growth and management.

The new triumvirate will line up with Flowers, Foulk, and Martin setting the tone and quite possibly fighting the manager’s and mayor’s overall strategic comprehensive growth agenda. Basically, this election result guarantees that we will see at least two more years of personal agendas over what is best for the community.

Martha Stowe brings a good mind and energy to the council. We hope that she will remain even-handed in this public role. She is certainly articulate and will speak her mind.

All are supporters of parks and recreation plans. That is a good thing. With the approval of the Bond, the Parks and Recreation Department can seriously begin work on their master plan of 2003.

We certainly expect that Mr. Dixon and his 100-year family legacy will be back for either another run for council or to challenge as Mayor. That will bear watching the next two years.

Again, we will support — and watch carefully — as the new council members are seated and begin their term. 

Junior X-Girl, Elyse Will of South Point finished in 17th place on Saturday in the NC State 3A cross country championships at Tanglewood Park in Winston-Salem.

Will finished strong with a time of 20:30.17 for the 5K run. There were 126 runners in this year’s championship. TC Roberson of Skyland, NC won the overall team championships with 31 points, placing 5 of their runners in the top 10.

Congratulations Miss Will on a great cross country season!