Opinion

Mayor on Duty - Feb. 13

Last week I had the honor of meeting with students from Anne Porter’s hospitality and tourism  high school class. After giving the students a town hall tour, we discussed the tourist industry here on the plateau.

Mayor on Duty - Feb. 6

Last Wednesday Gibbins Advisors, the monitor for the HCA/Mission transaction, held a public meeting at our recreation department. This inaugural meeting was one of several held in the region.

School officials make correct weather call

With January wrapped up and February in full swing, it should come as no surprise to anyone in Highlands that winter weather is a regular possibility for the next several weeks. While the thought of snow may bring excitement to some, for others the idea of seeing whitewashed roads brings dread.

A DC haircut spurs big ideas

Sallie and I visited our “beltway kids” in Washington this past weekend. It is always good to leave Highlands for a while and see what other folks are doing. Well, I suppose comparisons of Highlands to Washington, DC are a stretch, but let me give it a try.

NCDOT needs local input

Perhaps it’s a pesky pothole that has caused problems for years. Maybe, it’s a maddening commute that could be eased by an added lane of travel. Or it could be a lacking stretch of sidewalk that makes a stroll through town treacherous.

Mayor on Duty - Jan. 23

I’m anxiously waiting for a winter storm to hit, although I hope it doesn’t.  These storms almost invariably cause road problems and power outages. Since Highlands is situated at 4119 feet above sea level, not having the disruption of a winter storm would not be normal.

New festival has proven blueprint

There’s no such thing as too much of a good thing. At least that’s the hope of Eleven Events.

Mayor on Duty

During the holidays I visited my daughter and grandchildren. Rebecca and her husband live in a large Atlanta metropolitan county. While there, I did my routine training run at a large community park across the street from their subdivision. The large park was very impressive.

Remembering the man and message

On the heels of the hustle and bustle of Christmas and New Year’s, Martin Luther King Jr. Day (Monday, Jan. 20) sometimes feels like it gets lost in the shuffle. But each year we collectively pause to remember Dr. King and his lifetime of civil rights work. Martin Luther King Jr.

Voter ID rulings come with a cost

Every registered voter in Macon County was recently sent a card in the mail. On that card, was the list of forms of identification that would be accepted at the polls in 2020, after North Carolina’s voter ID law went into effect.