If you have ever hired, supervised or fired an employee — even if you have been an employee — you know that an abundance of applicants allows you to pick the best performers. And, while there are times that diversity may be good, do you want your Village government to avoid hiring the best people? The use of your tax money depends on it.

The Clemmons Village Council voted a resounding “yes” for diversity and “no” for qualification, experience, wisdom and residence.  Wrights, Lofland, Binkley and Barson ALL preferred diversity and voted for an 18-year-old who will attend college in Chapel Hill and lacks the experience, wisdom and any qualification (other than ambition) to serve even as an alternate on the Zoning Board of Adjustment committee while there were plenty of other applicants offering great value and who live here. Mike Combest dissented after giving a strong speech that urged Council members to be wise and leaders.

Did the Council members ever interview candidates, personally?  Did the 18-year-old show ambition — which is not better than other qualifying attributes — while other applicants did as they were told and applied? Leaders hold the oars in the boat not the candidates.  When I’ve hired people, I always picked the best people from applications then interviewed them. They didn’t get hired because they showed up at meetings. Yikes! If Council told applicants to call them or sit at meetings in order to qualify, I am sure they would have done this. Ambition is empty without appropriate qualifying history and earned stature.

While Mike Combest expressed his fervent desire to see only quality people with qualifying histories, Ms. Lofland, the woman who opposed Congresswoman Foxx for being too liberal for her, claimed diversity was what she wanted. While that is disappointing, on June 25 Lofland wanted to find government money — state, county OR Village to help people whose private properties include ponds. Her sympathetic tone and willingness to find taxpayer sources was enlightening, and quite the disappointment. And despite months of discussion about the Idols business park and that the first aspiring occupant is industrial she thought “business” meant offices.

— Paul Johnson
Clemmons