Happy Holidays to Brookneal

The New Year is fast approaching. I'd like the readers to post what they'd like to see happen in Brookneal in the coming year.


What would you most like to see happen?

And what would you like to see stop happening?

Town meeting

Just got back in to town in time to almost be washed into the Staunton River. Where did this rain come from?

Any reports on the town meeting? Are we any closer to getting the manager issue resolved?

Looks like we have a new reporter, so maybe we'll get some good information from now on.

Christmas Parade and newspaper

We really enjoyed the Christmas Parade. The floats seem to be getting better every year. I also like the old cars, some of them were really nice. The weather was probably the best I can remember on parade night. Big crowds and a lot of kids!

At the end of my last post someone mentioned that the Union Star has a new reporter. Is this true? I've seen several articles lately that are full of mistakes and sloppy editing. I hope this improves. Whether they realize it or not people from all over the country read about Brookneal. I get hits from Colorado, Alaska, Connecticut, Texas, Florida and other states. I assume most are interested in news from an area they grew up or used to live. Some are probably just nosy or checking up on other people that live here.
If I get that big of a variety of readership for this blog, then the Union Star website probably gets even more. What their impression is of the mistakes I don't want to think about.

A violent and disturbing week

This week's Union Star was filled with some disturbing stuff. We had a domestic shooting, a robbery that then had the perpetrator waving a gun at the woman's house, some drunk drivers and other criminals. Is there something in the water this week? Or is it just a freaky ending to what has been a downer year for most people?

And what has happened with getting a new town manager? We saw the ads, but haven't heard anything else.

Christmas is coming

Is anyone planning on going in the Christmas parade?

What family traditions do you have in Brookneal?

Cold Spell

What's up with the weather? I think this is the earliest it has been this cold since I moved here. I heard there were snow flurries a few times! I wonder if we'll have a white Christmas?

Any news that anyone wants to share?

Brookneal on Fox News

Looks like Brookneal was on Fox News Hometown report.


http://opportunities.blogs.foxbusiness.com/

Looks like they missed mentioning several issues that have concerned the town for the past several months.

They must think we're stupid!

I've read all the local papers and studied the election results. We've got 331 write in votes. Two of the papers state that one of the write in candidates won. Our own newspaper says different. The registrar's office says different.
The registrar's office acknowledges that there were 331 write in votes, but assigns only 65 to Sonya, 55 to Tamera and 45 to Ken. This doesn't add up to 331. Does that means there are 160+ write in votes that are so messed up that they don't count? How is that possible? During the election two years ago there were 94 write in votes and they managed to count the votes correctly. So why can't they count these correctly? Why the big delay?
I feel that someone is keeping their finger on this because they don't want to lose a few yes votes on the council!

Election Results: Unofficial

The unofficial election results I have are:

Phyllis Campbell: Mayor

Champ Nowlin
Richard Adams
Phillip Shepperd

Looks like Mr. Hailey got booted off, which is a good thing!

I also heard there was a large amount of write-in votes, but because of confusions, misspelling and combining names that a large number had to be kicked out as not counting.
Mr. Jennings also did well as a write-in for mayor, and had he been on the ballot I believe he would have unseated the incumbent. Two years from now he better be ready to run!

Congratulations to Mr. Shepperd for getting on the council and stepping up to run.
And a big thank you to our write in candidates for their efforts and concern for the community.
Things are not set in stone for the incumbents. Enough bad behavior and the community can certainly get rid of them.

Combing the Classifieds

I've been waiting for the council to make good on their June promise to hire a new town manager. Hasn't happened so far, and the scuttlebutt is that Mr. Adams and Mayor Campbell are 100% behind keeping Mr. Crews in place.

So I was surprised to see this ad in the Lynchburg News and Advance:

TOWN Manager: The Town of Brookneal, Virginia Town Manager, Town of Brookneal (population 1300)-part time, will consider full time. Manages/directs daily operations and oversees department heads; provides professional administration of all town affairs; and represents the town on regional boards. Serves at pleasure of mayor and six member Town Council. Should possess knowledge of public administration, financial management, and personnel management. Send resume, cover letter, and chronological work and salary history to Town Manager Search Committee, P. O. Box 450, Brookneal, Virginia 24528. Application review will begin immediately.


Is there a Town Manager Search Committee? I've never seen any mention in the paper about who was on it, what their selection criteria was and when they would let the residents know that they were working on actually getting us a town manager.

When you compare the above ad to the actual wording of the Town charter it appears that they missed advertising for several key components. Seems like the ad "dumbs" down the requirements of the charter, which is the only way they can slip their already selected choice in.

http://dls.state.va.us/lrc/charters/Brookneal.pdf
§ 19. Town manager.—(a) The council may appoint a town manager who shall
be the chief administrative officer of the town and shall be chosen solely on the basis of
his executive and administrative qualifications, and shall have some knowledge of civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering. He need not, when appointed, be a resident of the town, or of the Commonwealth of Virginia, but shall during his term of office, reside within the Commonwealth of Virginia, and shall be appointed for such term as he and the
council agree upon, not to exceed town years, but in any event, to end with the term of
the council making the appointment. The town manager may be suspended or removed
by the council for any cause it deems sufficient, provided that no order of suspension or
removal shall be made until after he shall have been given at least five days’ notice in
writing, stating the cause for such suspension or removal and fixing a day when he may
be heard thereon. The action of the council, suspending or removing the town manager,
shall be final. The council may place the control and supervision of the police force of the town under either the mayor or the town manager.

I'm guessing that our current town manager doesn't have any engineering degrees, civil, mechanical, electrical or otherwise. And from the looks of the ad that this mysterious selection committee ran it doesn't look like any degrees are going to be required. In fact the only requirement will be "serving the Mayor". Let's just admit to ourselves, fellow residents: The Mayor has no intention of hiring anyone with enough brains and backbone to tell her "No."

I find it embarassing that the town is advertising for an important position with such a lack of professionalism. Are we so low rent that we advertise for a public administrator in the same manner that Hardy's fills its employee quota?

Here's my prediction: No one that is even qualified to be a town manager will apply, because they are going to blow past this pathetic advertising effort thinking that the salary is lower than the night manager at Bubba's All Night Bait and Beer. The only people that will apply are the one already "working" for the town, and maybe someone between custodian jobs at the various state run prison farms.

Get out and vote people! Take the time and make some changes in this town!

Weekend news

My girlfriend visited the reception for Dr. Campbell out at Hat Creek. She said it was crowded and very nice. Dr. Campbell has been a fixture in the community and has done a lot of good things, it's a shame to see him retire from practice.

She said write-in candidate Sonya Furgurson was out there, but she didn't get the chance to talk to her. She did get to talk to several other people that mentioned that they felt Sonya and Tamera would help change the council.

I also heard through the grapevine that Mrs. Meisenbach's mother was in a car accident Sunday morning. Our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family at this time.

Has anyone heard anything about the Dollar Duz It opening back up? It would be nice to have a store on Main Street again. I also heard that a steak house is in the works!

Early Christmas present

If you could put a make a wish and get a write-in candidate for mayor elected who would it be?

Meet the New Candidates

Just in:

Since the mayor and "Acting as the Town Manager" decided to bully the Chamber of Commerce into not holding a candidates' forum the two ladies have decided to host their own get together:

"Meet the New Candidates for the Town of Brookneal Council. "
The newest candidates for council seats up for election this year are hosting a "Getting to Know Us" afternoon get together. The community is invited to attend. Come and meet the candidates and tell them your concerns for the town; Saturday, November 1st, 4:00 PM, 112 Clark Street.
For more information call Tamera Sprouse or Sonya Furguson 376-7297 to leave a message.

I hope these two women will get your support. Both are extremely qualified and both have local roots. I would like to see an end to the council and town employees being used for personal gain and to promote personal vendettas.

Council meeting recap: updated

Looks like the council has some issues to work on! There has been no forward movement on advertising for a town manager. Mayor Campbell and Councilman Adams were not in attendance at last night’s meeting.

There seems to be an issue about whether all employees are being treated the same across the board. Hasn’t the town been dealing with this type of problem for several years? Towns cannot make one set of rules for a section of the employees and not apply them to all employees.

Due to the recent vandalism and robberies it has been brought up that putting a curfew in place may help with some of the problems. Juveniles 17 years and under would have to be off the streets, or in the presence of an adult guardian, or risk being cited for violating curfew. Gladys, Virginia Beach, Alta Vista and other communities have put curfews in place and have seen as much as a 70% decrease in vandalism and theft. (Thank you, Mrs. Meisenbach for this information)
I’ve placed a new poll up about this matter; so let me know what you think.

It seems the Mayor and "Acting As A Town Manager" had a problem with there being a candidates' forum without their permission, and applied pressure to a local chamber board member, so the Brookneal Chamber of Commerce has withdrawn their offer to host a “Meet the Candidates Forum”.
Seems like the fact that there are two write-in candidates interested in running has caused a frenzy at the town office. I hope the Forum can simply be hosted by someone else so the community can meet the people interested in running for council.
I have to wonder why anyone working for the town has the ability to shut down a political forum. Aren't town employees supposed to be neutral, and not show political favoritism? And the "Acting As A Town Manager" can't even vote since he's a convicted felon, so why does he care if there is a forum?
With all the broken promises the town's people have heard this year is it any wonder people are wanting to see change?

Two write-in candidates for the coming election have come forward:

Tamera Sprouse is a hometown girl that currently works in Lynchburg as an administrator at social services. She lives in Brookneal and has long-term family ties to the area. She has an interest in improving the town’s financial base and working to make sure the town survives the tough economic times ahead. Her work as an administrator would certainly help provide stability and direction while serving on the council.


Sonya Furguson grew up in Campbell County and now resides in Brookneal with her family. She is currently employed as a Reading First Coach at Meadville Elementary School and is an adjunct instructor for Southside Virginia Community College where she teaches American Sign Language, Developmental Reading, and Developmental Writing. She has worked with getting educational grants, which would assist the town while it goes through the grant processes.

Congratulations (or condolences) to these two ladies for stepping up and running for council.
The candidates on November 4th are:

Richard Adams
James Nowlin
Stacey Hailey
Philip Shepperd
Tamera Sprouse
Sonya Furguson
Phyllis Campbell

A word to the wise: If you want the write-in candidates to get into office then ONLY vote for the write-in candidates. Voting for one of the incumbents can skew the vote (and really is there any difference between the incumbents?) and split it against one of the write-ins. So vote for the two write-ins, or one write-in and one regular candidate.

Three seats will be filled, so in all probability at least one of the incumbents will be going back in. It’s nice to dream about a clean sweep, but it’s not likely to happen. My guess is Mr. Nowlin will be going back in, but it would sure be nice to have these two very qualified women get a chance to use their experience to help the town make some progress.

Next election

I got an email this evening that there might be more than the expected number of candidates running in the election. Rumor has it that we have at least one write in for a council seat and possibly one for the mayor's seat.

If this is true, what would you like to see new council members work on?

Rash of robberies

I was concerned when another resident told me they had been broken into, but after hearing from other people that there have been several robberies in recent weeks I'm downright mad.

What is going on that Brookneal has become such a hotbed of theft? There have been at least four businesses broken into, one of them twice. Some of the perpetrators are even known. Why aren't these idiots in jail?

It's difficult enough in a small town to run a business. If we allow thieves and drug addicts to run our businesses out of town then we ill all suffer.
The council has got to take pro-active measures to insure that the crime rate does not continue to rise. We need another police officer, and we need one now.
We need something to get kids off the streets after dark. I'm tired of seeing young kids out on Main Street after 11:30 PM. Where the hell are these kids' parents?

I'm tired of wondering if my car will be broken into when I go into a store. I'm tired of giving a sigh of relief when I come home and don't find my house broken into while I'm away at work.
Small towns are supposed to feel safe. I'm not feeling so safe any more.

Disappointed but not surprised

I read my copy of the Union Star and as hard as I tried to find it there was no ad in there for the Town Manager position. After last week's headlines I thought the town was moving ahead. Can anyone explain why the community was told the search was beginning, but nothing has happened?

Economic forum

I stopped in on the Chamber of Commerce's Economic forum tonight. There was a good sized crowd and several speakers. I couldn't stay for the entire forum, but it looked like the plan for this area is to create an appeal based on history, residential and internet accesibility. Sounded like a good idea to me. Brookneal has a lot of small town charm, it's just hidden by the blight.

Things that weren't addressed were the financial situation of Brookneal, and the governmental problems here. I am glad the Chamber is taking the initiative to try to get this kind of information out to the public.

Mr. Davidson did say there was an offer on the Dan River site, but not whether it was another textile operator or if it was being looked at for other uses.

I heard it through the grapevine.......

Looks like some forward progress was made at last night's town council meeting. There was a motion brought by Mr. Jennings and seconded by Mr. Jean to start the search for a new town manager.

The vote was as follows:

Mr. Jennings: Yes
Mrs. Meisenbach: Yes
Mr. Nowlin: No
Mr. Adams: abstained because he felt the matter needed more discussion ( another two years maybe?)
Mr. Jean: Yes
Mr. Hailey: abstain. ( I really doubt he even knows what the word means)

The Mayor called it as a failed vote. Mrs. Meisenbach said it was not a failed vote because it had 3 ayes, 1 nay and two abstains.

This is where it enters sketchy territory; Mr.Nowlin said he wanted to change his vote, although he didn't. Then Mr. Adams does change his vote to a no and Mr. Hailey also changes his vote to a no. The three Yes votes were not asked if they wanted to revote, nor was a new motion introduced for them to vote on.
This second round of vote changing created a tie vote, 3 nays to 3 ayes so the Mayor votes to break the tie and votes No. No, we don't need a new town manager? Has she not been listening to the community? She's now on record as voting to keep a convicted felon on as town manager.
Mr. Jean introduces a motion to form a committee to study getting the new town manager and this motion passes, legally.

Some how the Mayor realized that they had made a major screw up and asked Mrs. Meisenbach if there was a question about the vote. Mrs. Meisenbach explained the parliamentary procedure, and Mr. Crews and Mrs. Waller had to agree that she was correct. The first vote on starting the search for a town manager had to stand because once Mr. Hailey, as the last council member queried, voted, the motion was carried 3 to 1 with 2 abstaining. Votes cannot be changed once the final vote has been cast. Instead a new motion would have had to be introduced in order for a new vote. No new motion was introduced.

This is the kind of shoddy voting measures that happen within our town government. Had Mrs. Meisenbach not spoken up, with the backing of Mr. Jennings and Mr. Jean, than an illegal vote change would have been recorded.

Links of interest

I'm still working on updating my links section (thank you for the help Mrs. Meisenbach and Mrs. Jennings)


I found these links disturbing:
http://www.pet-abuse.com
Click on the Animal Abuse database on the right and then search Virginia. It's terrible how many animal abuse cases exist in Virginia.

http://www.familywatchdog.us/
You can search a database of sex offenders in the area. There are several that are too close to suit me! There is a registered sex offender living less than a mile from the Brookneal Elementary School. Why is this acceptable?


You'd think a small community would be safe from this kind of thing.

Boat landing

We went down to the boat landing this weekend to launch our kayaks. It was not a good experience. The landing area had beer bottles and cans all around in the grass. There was a drunk guy there that was a jerk to several people. I understand it was labor day weekend and people wanted to relax, but being drunk that early in the day and near a public boat landing was stupid.
We kayak down river and passed several more landings that had groups of drunk people. Doesn't fish and game patrol the river? I really don't care if these idiots drown themselves, but I am concerned that they are in boats at some point endangering the rest of us.
Who is responsible for keepingg the main landing area clean? Is it the town or the county?

Need reader help

I'd really like to update my local links. If you know of a local business that has a website please let me know and I'll add it to the links section.

Thank you,
The Brookneal Blogger

What really matters?

Seems from a lot of the comments that people are touchy about the fact the town has junky areas. It's also very apparent that people aren't happy about Mr. Hailey, or Mr. Crews.

What do you think it is going to take to get this town back on the right track? We seem to have an endless set of problems coming from the town office. What causes these problems?

Maintaining the town

The issue of the town needing a maintanance code has come up. I've always been depressed by the blight and poorly kept properties on our main roads. I'm not talking old paint, because paint is an issue that is easy to fix. I'm talking about buildings falling down, junk appliances, trash and other issues that affect our town. The houses that you see coming into the town from 40 over the Falling River are particularly bad.

I see that there are now citizens that want something done about the blight, but my question is: Why did it have to get this far, before something was done?

Things around town

I haven't been in town much lately due to my work, but I was in the CVS recently and got an earful while standing in line. I actually heard a council member defending Mr. Hailey and urging the person they were talking to to vote for him in the next election. I wanted to ask the person if they were crazy or just on drugs, because no one with common sense would endorse a person convicted of assault.

Since I'm not from here, and I don't know all the traditions or social rules I'm just bluntly going to ask: Just what does a person have to do to booted from the council?
Wife beating doesn't seem to qualify a person for removal. Would baby sacrifices or being a online porn star? What exactly is the limit a person has to go before they can no longer represent our town?

Council meeting

What happened? Anything exciting?

Campbell County

Looks like quite a few of our readers think Mr. Hailey needs to resign. I think he needs to seriously look at what he has done and consider the public perception of having a spousal abuser on the council.

I also think there is a veritable shit storm about to hit Campbell County. The sludging is about to start out near Swinging Bridge road and anyone living in town will be drinking water that has sludge residue in it by the end of the year. Campbell County could have been proactive, like Halifax was, and stopped this problem before it started, but instead they chose to lie to the residents and ignore the problem.

What will Brookneal do to prevent our main source of drinking water from becoming a cess pool?
My guess is a big: NOTHING. I think this needs to be an election issue. I think all of the candidates need to step up and say whether they will do anything to protect the water supply. if they hem and haw and pretend it won't be effected then they need to go.

Has anyone found out anything about Mr. Shepperd yet?

Union Star

Is it just me or does the local paper miss a lot of news?

When I talk to people in town I hear about different things going on in the community, but I never read about these same things in the newspaper.
I have also heard about several misquotes, and stories that don't include very important details from the council meetings.

The paper used to be fairly informative, what happened?

Budgets and grants

Looks like only two council members had the balls to vote against the budget. Mr. Jean asked for the stipulation that a search would begin for a town manager, but how can you hire a position that has no salary budgeted for it? I can just see that ad: Wanted; Town Manager, salary: nothing. Of course working for nothing is not a problem when you have nothing to work with anyway.

Sounds like Brookneal is going to have a grant shortfall. How did this happen? Usually you only have those kinds of short falls when someone has dragged their feet, causing cost over runs to become a hugh problem within a project budget. Who is overseeing the grant and why aren't they on top of things?


I'm already tired of the subject of Mr. Hailey, but I put up a poll about his position on the council so people can voice their opinions.

Anyone know anything about Mr. Shepperd? His chances look pretty good for getting on the council.

Bribery

WTF is going on when a council member can try to bribe a state attorney and get away with it? Why wasn't this idiot handcuffed right there in court?
Are there council members that are backing him, despite this incident?

Council member in court

I have to agree that it is ridiculous to see a council member up on assualt charges, admitting they hid in the bushes, admitting cutting the phone lines etc. How can anyone think that these things are acceptable to do?

PLEASE step up and run for council. Anyone who votes for a spousal abuser needs their head examined.

http://www.wset.com/news/stories/0608/525751.html?ref=home


The Brookneal Blogger

Elections

Read the Union Star today. Looks like Mr. Hailey is the only one that has submitted his paperwork. After reading the bios for him and Mr. Nowlin I have to ask "Doesn't anyone else want to run?"

Step up people and take back your town! If we don't get some council members voted in that want progress and financial stability then we might as well turn in the charter.

If you know of anyone willing to run, that has the integrity and brains to do the job then please get them up to the county office!

So what happened?

I just got back in to town tonight and missed the meeting. What happened? Any fireworks or arguments?

It's getting deep

I mean the rain. It hasn't rained this much since I moved here. I think there have been at least three droughts in the last five years. I'm not complaining, we desperately need to rain.

Took the GF out for Mother's Day, she's not my mom ( I'm not that strange) but she has intentions of being one some day, so I figured the practice wouldn't hurt. The Skillet looked packed so we went down to South Boston. It has gotten really green since the rains started.

I haven't heard much around town, although I did catch a few sentences of discontent while in the NAPA store this week. I also caught a few mumblings at the Jiffy Mart. I think most people are just waiting to see what happens with the budget. It will probably go through, it will be interesting to see who supports it and who doesn't.

I do have a question about a local feature: where is Craptown?
I've heard two elderly people mention it, but I've never seen any signs that say Craptown, and because of the age of the people talking I don't think they are joking, I think they are talking about a community.

A good question

Truthseeker asked a very good question at the end of the last post and I shamelessly took it to use for my newest post:

Someone please tell me WHAT Mayor Campbell, Mr. Adams, Mr. Nowlin, and Mr. Hailey have done for the town and its citizens since they have been in office. They have all been in office long enough to have a record on issues. What have they done to make Brookneal a better place to live?


So step up and tell us what has been done that is positive. Don't ramble about the grants and such, the majority of work on those has been done by Region 2000 and Mrs. Hitchcock. I want to know WHAT they have done to attract new businesses, promote real estate growth, clean up blight, etc. Are the town employees happier than they were 6 years ago?

What is better about Brookneal?

Bass Festival and Day in the Town

I could see that some trucks and boat trailers had arrived in town and things were busy down by the boat ramp. Looks like people are getting ready on Main Street for Day in the Town.
I have to question the common sense of the Main Street business owner that decided to rip a huge hole in the awning and leave construction scaffolding up. Couldn't they have waited a week? Seems unsafe when you think about the children that will be running loose in town.
Looks like the weather will be good for the whole weekend, so I'll be down on the river. I'll be the one without a fishing pole!

Looks like we don't have anything in the paper indicating that Brookneal is looking for a new town manager.

For crying out loud!

Did anyone else see the Union Star? Is this accurate?
Mrs. Meisenbach did you really agree to a compromise on the salary?

Say it isn't so!

http://www.wpcva.com/brookneal/

Brookneal in Spring

Could the weather be better? It's days like this that make me really appreciate the area. We need the rain to make up for last year's drought. I saw a doe with a fawn yesterday. It is great to live in town, yet still be able to look out the back door and see wildlife, except for the skunks, I really don't like seeing them.

Next weekend is the Bass Festival. I've been urged to enter, but don't know if I will or not. I'll for sure be going to the dinner. I love catfish!

Speaking of dinner, there is a new eatery in town. Can't remember the name but it's across from the Dollar General Store. They have good food, including some greek stuff that is tasty. Get out and support them or we'll lose another restaurant!

Support your local business, they support you! If anyone has any ideas about things they would like to see on this blog please send them to me.


June 10th is approaching! Get ready to run for council! http://www.sbe.virginia.gov/cms/documents/CAN_DECLARATION.pdf

Reviewing some email: links and budget meeting

I checked my inbox and found some email comments that I thought I'd throw out there:

Who does the Town of Brookneal Website?
Why aren't there links for things actually in the community? There are local businesses that have websites, yet they aren't listed. Why isn't there a link to to Red Hill on the main page? Red Hill is the major tourist attraction, and claim to fame, of the area, but there is nothing to even indicate it exists on the town website. There is a tiny photo of the house, but if you've never been to Red Hill how would you know that is where the house is? For those of you that would like to visit Red Hill here's the link: http://www.redhill.org/


Evidently the budget meeting was a long drawn out argument about whether one employee needs to be paid more than the other employees because of "extra duties". I was under the impression that all the employees have extra duties, but maybe I'm wrong. One thing brought to my attention was the dismissal of the complaints here, and on the WSET site, as being invalid because they were "anonymous". Doesn't that just make your ears steam? Just because no name is assigned that means the complaint doesn't exist. I sure they would like all the people who post to use their real names, because that makes it easier to retaliate with trumped up measures.
Here's my solution: When you post use the Name/URL link and at least put a nickname so we can identify your individuality. This will also make it easier when replying to comments, so people will know which one you are replying to.

I've had a number of emails asking who I am. Because of the above mentioned retaliation fears I'm not going to post my name. I don't need tickets for long grass or parking on the wrong side of the street. I will share that I'm a regular guy, 47, attached, although not married, I work in Campbell County and I'm in the town quite a bit. I love the town, but even in the short time I've lived here I've seen it go further down hill. I am not on the town council, nor do I have any relatives on the town council. I've been to some town functions and have met each member of the council, although mostly in group settings, so I doubt they remember me. I've been in the town office, and I think the way the firing of the previous clerk/treasurer was handled was crap. She seemed like a nice knowledgable lady to me. The town employees that pick up the trash and do the mowing bust their butts and I have nothing but respect for them.
I've met the Chief, and not under an arrest situation, so don't think I'm the local crack dealer, but again I doubt he remembers who I am because it was a group situation.
He's a nice fellow and, from what I've been told, a good cook. I have not personally met the newest police officer, but I have seen him around town.
I've used most of the businesses in town and most of the managers/owners have been gracious and helpful. I have one instance that I can think of where I was completely turned off and that was going with my girlfriend to check out the exercise place on Main Street. I stood in the hallway with all the shop fronts painted on it and heard two women gossiping harshly about one of the female council members. ( Hint: there's only one) It was so disturbing I instantly had an image of harpies with bloody claws. No wonder people don't trust one another around here, the knives are out at all times. I doubt they knew that the acoustics of the place made every word they said audible in the hallway. This has happened in other businesses, mainly Food Lion. I hear all kinds of conversations where people don't realize that an aisle away someone is getting an earful. If the WSET guy came down and hung around he could tape some very incriminating stuff!

I'm looking forward to the Day in the Town, I hope it won't rain like it did last year.

Elections

Looks like people are not happy with some of the town council and the mayor.
The general election will be in November.
All candidates running for council seats or the mayor's seat must have their declarations in by June 10th, 2008.
These council members are up for re-election:

Richard Adams
James "Champ" Nowlin
Stacey Hailey

Mayor Phyllis Campbell

If the elections were held this week, who would you vote for? Who wouldn't you vote for?
Who do you wish would run for the council's or mayor's seats?

Next week's budget

I saw in the paper that the Brookneal budget will be discussed next week, I think on Thursday evening.

Do you think the council will go ahead and give the interim town manager the $67,000 he wants?

He threatened to step down if they didn't. Do you think he will?

Do you think the council should go ahead and advertise for the town manager position?

Buzz around town

I was in several stores over the weekend and the buzz around town was about the big news story concerning the town manager. I heard people express shock about his past, as well as disgust that he was in charge of the police department.

I also heard one old man at the local chicken place say that he know'd there would be retaliation against the people that brought it up, even though they was just telling the truth.

What do you think? Was the Chief of Police right to take his concerns to Sheriff Gaddy?

My personal opinion is that he was not only right, but he should have done it sooner.
If there is any retaliation against his job, and the town council doesn't do something then there is a serious problem here.

Recent events:

So people, how do you feel about the current situation with the Interim Town Manager?
He's a 3 X convicted felon and though he was not charged with handling the guns there still remain many questions as to his position running the town.

Brookneal Blog

I've spent the last few days reading the WSET site and I am amazed at the comments and passions of the people involved. Seems like sleepy little Brookneal needs a place to speak up!
I'm creating this blog for that very purpose! So if you want to talk about Brookneal; the good, the bad, and the ugly, then come on in and sit a spell!