Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1506176
4 UCW AUGUST 23 - 29, 2023 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com OPERATIONS DIRECTOR Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com MANAGING EDITOR April Olsen editor@upandcomingweekly.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Hannah Lee assistanteditor@upandcomingweekly. com ART DIRECTOR Courtney Sapp-Scott art@upandcomingweekly.com GRAPHIC DESIGNER Isaiah Jones graphics@upandcomingweekly.com STAFF WRITERS Alyson Hansen Kathleen Ramsey Chayenne Burns Katrina Wilson Aubrette Reid Laura Browne CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Lois Kirby, Margaret Dickson, Rep. Richard Hudson, D.G. Martin, Bill Kirby Jr., Evey Weisblat, Sheila D. Barker, Amber Little, Jamie Bishop, Christopher Thrasher MARKETING ASSOCIATE Linda McAlister linda@upandcomingweekly.com SALES ASSISTANT Sheila D. Barker salesassistant@upandcomingweekly. com COVER Cover design by Courtney Sapp-Scott Photo of Rivermist by Jimmy Jones Rivermist (left to right): Cliff Bender, Rick Starling, Allen Pier, Greg Adair and Tony Harrison. Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan St. P.O. Box 53461 Fayetteville, NC 28305 PHONE: 910-484-6200- FAX: 910-484-9218 Up & Coming Weekly is a "Quality of Life" publication with local features, news and information on what's happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Published weekly on Wednesdays, Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for publication consideration, but assumes no responsibility for them. We cannot accept responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or material. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to edit or reject copy submitted for publication. Up & Coming Weekly is free of charge and distributed at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Army Airfield, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. © 2020 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. Various ads with art graphics designed with elements from: vecteezy.com and freepik.com. Association of Community Publishers PUBLISHER'S PEN Transparency needed in Fayetteville city government by LOIS KIRBY Publisher's note: I have yielded my space this week again to Fayetteville resident Lois Kirby. I am pleased with the fact that citizens like Lois are starting to speak up and speak out about how they feel about our city and its leadership. I encourage all citizens to step up and speak out and use the First Amendment and our community newspaper as vehicles to have their voices heard. For 27 years, we have prided our- selves in allowing the entire commu- nity, regardless of political affiliation, to use our publication to weigh in on how they feel about living and work- ing in the Fayetteville community. Enjoy, and we hope we hear from you in the near future. ank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly. e most sacred of bonds are often broken when there is a lack of trans- parency in any relationship. For the past few decades, this lack of transparency has eroded trust and led to suspicions of unethical or illegal activity in Fayetteville's city government. One only needs to look at the poor turnout at Fayetteville municipal elections to realize what is happen- ing. Trust and faith in leadership is a state of mind involving confident expectations. In Fayetteville's case, do the mayor, city council represen- tatives and city staff members act prudently on our behalf, using good judgment, honesty and benevolence? Unfortunately, for the most part, the mayor and our city council repre- sentatives are no longer easily acces- sible and prefer to be contacted only through an e-mail address at city hall. is leads to the impression that they like to isolate themselves from the general public. Retreating hast- ily through the back door of city hall upon adjournment of city council meetings tends to reinforce this. Accessibility and transparency should begin when a council mem- ber or candidate asks for your vote, money and your trust. After being elected, accessibility and transpar- ency should remain top priorities throughout their service. Everyone knows trust is the foundation of any strong relationship, and transpar- ency is critical to building that trust. Competent leadership requires knowledge, talent, sound judgment, humility and the desire to make a positive difference. I doubt many Fayetteville residents know that Fayetteville's mayor Mitch Colvin will meet with his constituents by ap- pointment only, and only on Mon- days for fifteen minutes. (So much for accessibility.) In addition, many residents com- plain that when important phone calls are placed to city management and the city attorney's office, they are seldom returned. is is why tax-paying residents tend to become skeptical and lose trust and confi- dence in the leadership responsible for municipal management. Being ignored by our elected of- ficials often prompts a "us vs. them" attitude. It's crucially important to understand the power and influence that the mayor and city council have on our lives when making critical decisions about routine city services like property taxes, policing and pub- lic safety, garbage collection, storm- water and zoning. As an elected body, it's the job of each council member to represent and encourage people to participate in decision-making while consider- ing the needs of the community and those who might choose to live here in the future. Understanding the responsibili- ties of a city council representative and the obligations that come with the position should be clear before anyone asks for the privilege to serve the public. Fayetteville could not exist without the taxes collected from residents — these taxes support and foster eco- nomic growth, giving our city vitality. Fayetteville citizens should demand our elected officials be open and transparent about their policies and decisions and explain how they will impact the Fayetteville community. Closed-session meetings should only be held if a personnel or legal matter is to be discussed. Holding meetings closed to the public only perpetuates the idea that the council has something to hide. A lack of transparency should not be tolerated. e Fayetteville mayor and all the city council members should listen closely to their constituents and operate more openly and ethically. ey should understand the impact of every decision they make and its effect on the prosperity and well- being of taxpaying citizens. It's apparent, and most unfortu- nate, that Mitch Colvin and the city council have little regard for this notion, nor are they inclined even to address the issues most important to the citizens of Fayetteville. i.e., prop- erty crimes, homicides/public safety, homelessness, to name a few. I want to remind everyone that this upcoming municipal election is ex- tremely important (Primary Oct. 10, Candidates Forum Oct. 19, Election Day Nov. 7) and will decide the fu- ture of our city. Know the candidates and vote wisely! Editor's note: Lois Kirby is a former City Council member representing District 5, and former Mayor Pro Tem. LOIS KIRBY, Contributor. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. 910-484-6200 Fayetteville City Hall (Photo courtesy Carolina Public Press)