Bekka Holm, Spencer, N.C.
♦Bob Oswald excoriated the board of aldermen last night, starting out saying, “Shame on you, shame on you, Board!” Yet, informed readers learn in this morning’s article that the “breaking point” for the Small Town Main Street coordinator was when OSWALD’s promotion committee planned a 5K run before a foundation was established to guide town events. Oswald expected town hall to staff the event, and handle the financial accounting for it.
The town of Spencer would have to hire additional personnel to handle Oswald’s lofty demands. Their peaceful little town would have the highest tax rate in the county if they buckled to Oswald’s every whim. The only thing the town board should be “ashamed” of is that they didn’t pull the plug on sideshow “events” any earlier than last night. It is also a shame, I’m told that Oswald immediately stormed out of the town hall after publicly “shaming” the board of aldermen, telling them how “disgusted” he was with them. It’s much easier to be a critic when one does not dominate the team efforts of others.
In a way, I empathize with Mr. Oswald. When I lived in Minnesota, I got upset with our township board over liberal spending policies, and their failure to recognize private property rights. I put my frustration into action by running—and winning a seat—on the township board.
I would recommend Mr. Oswald to put his name on the next ballot, and see what his neighbors think of his leadership abilities. He may be surprised, one way or another. But kicking his crown across the stage like he did last night, brings “shame” only to Oswald, and Oswald alone. The real “shame” is that the board had to pull the plug on his attempt to commandeer town staff for his “silo” projects, before the Small Town Main Street Foundation was established.
