About this time next year, we will be in the midst of an election for a Post Commissioner and a Commission Chairman. I expect that there will be “Meet and Greets”, “Meet the Candidate Forums” and hopefully even a debate or two. No doubt, the candidates will be asked questions regarding their position on the airport, the golf course, the budget, and other equally important issues – but there is another question that needs to be asked; “If you have taken a position on an issue, and an overwhelming majority (perhaps 75%) of Gilmer County citizens indicate to you that it is not what they want, do you vote your position or do you listen to the people?”

We operate on the assumption that our elected officials will be responsive to the desires of the people, but that is not always the case. Today, our leaders seem to lean more and more toward the idea that they know what is best for us, and they have to protect us – whether we want the protection or not. It’s the same mentality that may prevent someone in New York from being able to buy a Big Gulp. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has famously stated that “I do think there are certain times we should infringe on your freedom.” Note that, in his arrogance, he has already separated us into “we” and “you”. “We” should infringe on “your” freedom. Does that bring forth an image of someone who believes himself to be wiser, more capable and just generally superior to the rest of us? Is this someone who must protect us from ourselves, or just an arrogant elitist? Personally, it makes me all red in the face and desperately in need of some way to enhance my inner calm.

I don’t believe that we have to worry about our Big Gulps in Gilmer County. It takes a special kind of crazy for someone to reach that level of arrogance. I do believe, however, that we have a situation where some of our Commissioners sincerely believe that they know what is best for us, and don’t really care how we – the citizens – feel about it. I’m speaking, of course, about the stubborn insistence on approving a drone testing program in Gilmer County. Local polls indicate that between 75% and 80% of the citizens of this county want no part of it but, with the exception of Commissioner Randy Bell, they remain unmoved. I’m not buying in to their notion that they know what is best for us, and neither should you. I’d much rather they shift their emphasis to what we want rather than what they have determined that we need.

In the last BOC meeting, the room was packed with people opposed to the drone testing – all wearing red so that they might be seen as well as heard. As it turned out, we were seen more than heard. We waited patiently until all other business was finished and we were into the “Citizens Speak” portion of the meeting. Then we lined up against the wall to wait our turn at the podium to speak. I was third in line. The first speaker was concerned about the lack of a place for soccer practice. She made excellent arguments and her point was well taken by the Commissioners and those present. She spoke for probably 15 minutes and was finished. The second speaker wanted to speak against the drones. As soon as the word “drone” was out of his mouth he was interrupted by Commissioner Hall, who stated that he had already heard plenty about the drones and he was tired (paraphrasing). He asked that a time limit be imposed for those who wanted to speak to the issue of drone testing, and suggested 2 minutes. Chairman Sanford accepted the time limit, but did allow us to speak a bit more than 2 minutes – probably more in the neighborhood of 5 minutes. In my opinion, there was open hostility from at least one Commissioner toward those present to speak against the drones, including some from neighboring counties that didn’t want the drones even close to them.

The meeting had to end early due to a tornado warning, but I want to say how proud I am of those who tried very hard to go on record opposing the drone testing. We were polite. We made reasonable, well thought out arguments, and we were shut down. I hope that all of us who see this issue as a threat to our quiet enjoyment of life in Gilmer County will continue to make our voices heard. I hope that our Commissioners will take note of our words and our numbers and will be receptive to what we want, rather than to what they think we should have.

Written by: Charlie Paris