The Rocky Mount Concerned Citizens Facebook Page

But first, a Stepheny story: A few years back, driven beyond my patience, I abruptly stood at a City Council meeting and called out, “Point of order.... Mr. Blackwell can go on and on while the citizens only have three minutes to speak.” The mayor informed me, nicely, “There is no point of order for … Continue reading The Rocky Mount Concerned Citizens Facebook Page →

The Rain That Falls On City Council’s Flowers and Weeds

Spring has arrived in Rocky Mount, NC, and in our own gardens. Driving down Highway 64 from Nashville to Rocky Mount, there is that familiar image again, passing through a receiving line of trees dressed in their early, frilly leaves, each one a different shade of green, the colors deepening by the day. The price … Continue reading The Rain That Falls On City Council’s Flowers and Weeds →

Continuing the Discussion of Leadership: The Little Dutch Boy on the City Council

In my last blog, The Narrowing of Leadership, I wrote about how leadership can become confined within a single way of seeing, how a frame, once set, begins to limit what is noticed and what is allowed to be questioned. I suggest that Rocky Mount's City Council shows evidence of this tendency, and this needs … Continue reading Continuing the Discussion of Leadership: The Little Dutch Boy on the City Council →

Rocky Mount, NC: The Narrowing Lens of Leadership

What has unfolded in Rocky Mount over these past weeks has been a civic burden for everyone. The audit’s language, a lack of leadership, a lack of oversight, has stirred more than concern.  It has stirred a kind of impatience. You can feel it in the conversations, and certainly across social media, where the question has … Continue reading Rocky Mount, NC: The Narrowing Lens of Leadership →

Monday’s City Council Meeting – 3-23-26

Before commenting on the Council meeting I need to tell you a bit about my mother-in-law for this to make sense. She was a Jackson, Mississippi girl, an Ole Miss graduate, belonging to the Chi Omega sorority. As she grew older, her southern accent became more pronounced. Put these things together and you know a … Continue reading Monday’s City Council Meeting – 3-23-26 →