STILL NO NEWS ON THE FORENSIC AUDIT HERE'S ANOTHER THOUGHT WHILE WAITING Many of us know what it feels like to leave a meeting believing something important has happened simply because an issue has been named. But naming a problem is not the same as addressing it. In Rocky Mount’s civic life, the issue is … Continue reading Still Waiting For Results: The Cost of Fractured Leadership →

STILL NO NEWS ON THE FORENSIC AUDIT HERE'S MY THOUGHT WHILE WAITING I write because I hope to give people language for their experiences, their memories, their feelings. Three novels later, I write the blog, Mainstreetrockymount.com. to help people see the painting of Rocky Mount, differently, as it hangs on the wall. I have on … Continue reading Rocky Mount’s Problem Is Not Unnamed. It Remains Uncorrected. →

The last two posts about the outcry over the recent City Council meeting have drawn a larger readership than usual. I pay attention to these patterns because they tell me something about what people are interested in or trying to make sense of. Rocky Mount is carrying more than one burden right now. Questions about … Continue reading Rocky Mount’s ‘Troubles’ Foremost On Our Minds →

Deliberate Civic Work Between Elections Another City Council meeting ends with outcry about bad actors. The frustration is understandable, the comments familiar. But replacing a bad actor is not only about opposition. It is about preparation. Communities that succeed do more than reject what they no longer want. They invest time and care in finding … Continue reading Outcry Over The Latest City Council Meeting →

After the latest City Council meeting, the same thing happens. The comments on social media fill up. Frustration spills over. The words are familiar, Enough. Remove him. How is this allowed? We are lost in the outcry loop, a cycle where indignation feels like action, but nothing changes when election time comes. This is not … Continue reading Lost in the Outcry Loop: After the Latest City Council Meeting →

ON NET-FLICKS In the last few years of my reading life, I have found myself increasingly drawn to the leadership that has formed the world I have grown up in. Not perfect leadership, and certainly not flawless men and women, but leaders who understood the weight of responsibility and were willing to carry it, often … Continue reading Watching The West Wing TV Series Again: Noticing What Endures →