Opinion

It’s been a rough year for nonprofit agencies in Brunswick County. Late in 2008, the Beacon reported financial strains felt by Brunswick Family Assistance could have led to the agency’s closure. However, community members stepped up and through the influx of food and money, the agency has been able to continue to serve residents.

That’s a good thing on many levels, especially with the announcement the agency will once again this summer participate in a feeding program that will provide free meals to children throughout Brunswick County while school is on break.

In April, The Brunswick Beacon requested access to e-mails generated to and from county government administration department heads.

The county promptly responded to the request, providing the newspaper access per N.C. Public Records Law. Often we have good responses to public records requests from the county.

However, following our most recent request, at a May 20 county government department heads’ meeting, extended discussion took place about the state’s public records law and the federal Freedom of Information Act.

Brunswick County residents mark your calendars for June 1 and get ready to batten down the hatches.

In just a few days hurricane season officially begins and weather watchers will be keeping their eyes on systems developing off the coast.

The folks with Brunswick County Emergency Services (BCES) are getting prepared. They’re developing a new Web site with crucial emergency information resources like emergency alerts, maps and more.

When the state’s new smoking bill goes into effect on Jan. 2, 2010, smoking will be prohibited in all state government buildings and vehicles as well as public restaurants and bars.

The measure is a breath of fresh air for North Carolina citizens.

While some may argue smoking is an individual right—and one the government shouldn’t get involved in—the reality is smoking in public affects far more than just the person puffing on a cigarette.

In these difficult economic times, private citizens, businesses and public agencies are looking for ways to tighten purse strings.

From local, county and state government agencies to nonprofit organizations, everyone knows just how difficult it can be to make ends meet these days.

Calabash commissioners—Emily DiStasio, Cecelia Herman and John Melahn—are you completely ignorant of North Carolina Open Meetings Law or are you just so brazen you don’t care if you violate it?

Last week, the three of you openly violated the law when you joined together to discuss public business—town sewer—without first announcing you were going to do so.

We believe the Carolina Shores Board of Commissioners violated N.C. Open Meetings Law last week when it went into closed session to discuss, what we later found out, were concerns about Mayor Stephen Selby’s “behavioral pattern.”

Following the hour-and-a-half closed session, the board reconvened in open session and agreed unanimously to have the town attorney, Holt Moore III, send a letter to Selby about his behavior.

This is Sunshine Week, a time when newspapers and other media agencies throughout the country join together to celebrate and focus on the value of open government.

“Transparency” is the buzzword in government this year, and we wanted to know just how well government bodies that serve Brunswick County respond to open records requests.

Calabash commissioners, if your board remains as divided as it has appeared to be in the last couple of weeks, town business is going to go nowhere fast.

At a recent meeting, three of you removed yourselves from your seats and moved into the audience, trying to prove the point you wouldn’t be part of a discussion in which you were in disagreement.