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/812754
4 UCW APRIL 19-25, 2017 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM PUBLISHER'S PEN STAFF PUBLISHER Bill Bowman Bill@upandcomingweekly.com ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER/EDITOR Stephanie Crider editor@upandcomingweekly.com ASSISTANT EDITOR Leslie Pyo leslie@upandcomingweekly.com SENIOR REPORTER Jeff Thompson news@upandcomingweekly.com SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR Earl Vaughan Jr. GRAPHIC DESIGNER Elizabeth Long art@upandcomingweekly.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS D.G. Martin, Pitt Dickey, Margaret Dickson, John Hood, Erinn Crider, Jim Jones, Shanessa Fenner, Heather Griffiths BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Keri Dickson keri@upandcomingweekly.com SALES ADMINISTRATOR/ DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Laurel Handforth laurel@upandcomingweekly.com ACCOUNTING Paulette Naylor accounting@upandcomingweekly.com MARKETING/SALES Linda McAlister Brown linda@upandcomingweekly.com ––––––––––– Up & Coming Weekly www.upandcomingweekly.com 208 Rowan Street 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 infor- mation on what's happening in and around the Fayetteville/Cumberland County community. Up & Coming Weekly is published weekly on Wednesdays. Up & Coming Weekly welcomes manuscripts, photographs and artwork for pub- lication consideration, but assumes no respon- sibility 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 distrib- uted at indoor and outdoor locations throughout Fayetteville, Fort Bragg, Pope Air Force Base, Hope Mills and Spring Lake. Readers are limited to one copy per person. ©2007 by F&B Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial or advertisements without permission is strictly prohibited. Fayetteville's Weather Forecast April 20 Mostly Sunny April 21 Partly Cloudy April 22 Mostly Cloudy April 23 Showers April 24 Scattered Thunderstorms April 25 Partly Cloudy THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY HIGH 88 HIGH 83 HIGH 79 HIGH 76 HIGH 78 HIGH 77 LOW 62 LOW 58 LOW 57 LOW 58 LOW 56 LOW 53 OMG! Observing our local city and county elected officials interacting and trying to negotiate with one another is not a pretty sight. Sometimes, and all too often, they appear to be engaged in what resembles cage fighting. Brash, ruthless, violent and bloody with combatants battling for that all or nothing knock out. For us bystanders, another name for taxpaying residents, all we can do is shake our heads in dismay and wonder if Cumberland County has been developed over an ancient sacred Indian burial ground and we have been forever cursed for this unholy desecration. One must ask themselves, is this tendency for unpleasantness, weak, self-centered, selfish and uncooperative leadership really a curse? Is it in our DNA or is it actually a learned behavior handed down from generation to generation? Well, personally I believe it is a little bit of everything, but more of the latter. In my quest to find out why our local governments have such difficulty in cooperating, communicating and respecting each other, I have uncovered some words, terms and phrases all too frequently used in conversations when elected government officials are gathered together. So common are some of these that they have actually morphed into taking on their own specialized and customized meaning. And, that is where I think the real problem lies. You can be the judge of that. Even the most effective and respected elected officials and community leaders are sensitive to these terms and many know how to use and deal with them when they arise. This precarious glossary of terms and definitions is commonly referred to as the BS Chart and just may be the main source of the communication breakdown in our community. Here are a few examples. Again, you can be the judge. If you are a community leader or an elected city or county official, take heed of the ... Glossary (BS Chart) of Governmental Words, Phrases and Actions Collaboration: We are meeting. We are talking. We may even spend thousands of dollars on a consultant, but our minds are pretty much made up. Compliance: We must play by their rules or get our funding yanked. General Welfare: We know what you need, we tell you what you want, and don't worry, it will never make fiscal sense. Cultural: We want government money under the cloak of diversity. Diverse: Usually, depends on who is using it. This usually means the color, religion, gender and orientation of the person talking. Good ol' Boys: Yeah, we know each other, but, that doesn't mean we like each other. Elitist: Them people with influence and money. My people-Your people: Uh, Oh! Conversation is becoming racial … regardless of your color. Social Justice: We are going to riot if you don't give us what we want. Poverty: You should start feeling guilty. Advisory Board: We really don't care what you think. Donut Hole: Ooops! My bad. Partner with: We can get more money if we work together on this. At risk: They are going to jail soon. Common Good: When we can't justify the expense. This is the way you justify going after government grants and other funds. Quality of Life: See above. Reclassification: Giving a job a new name to justify a higher salary. Innovation: It's above your head and you just wouldn't understand. Monitoring: We have the responsibility to do this …. but, we don't. Strategic Plan: The old plan did not work so we need to create a "new" plan to justify our existence. Staffing and Retention: We want more money. Transitional: Homeless. Working Poor: We can't give them anything because they have a job. We can't help them because we are too concerned with the slugs out there doing nothing and collecting government checks. Well, I think you get my point. Surely, those career politicians do. In conclusion, my advice to all city and county elected officials is that when you must come together, assemble together with a friendly, wholesome and productive attitude. Stay open-minded. Be free of bias and judgement. Then, during your negotiations or conversations, if you hear any of the above words or phrases used in any combination more than four or five times, just get up and politely excuse yourself and leave the room. Little will be accomplished. On a more serious note, Cumberland County is on the grow. Opportunities abound and every community and township has a vested interest in our future success. Let's put our energies into moving Fayetteville and Cumberland County forward. This cannot be done with words and phrases … only actions. We support this progress, and we support all those who are trying to make this a great community. Thank you for reading Up & Coming Weekly. City/County Take Heed: The Glossary of the Ill-Fated by BILL BOWMAN BILL BOWMAN, Publisher, UP & COMING WEEKLY. COMMENTS? BILL@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200. " Collaboration: We are meeting. We are talking. We may even spend thousands of dollars on a consul- tant, but our minds are pretty much made up."