Give Them A Chance First

I get so amused at some of the comments and the letters printed in the opinion section of the Anderson Independent in opposition to our new County Council after only two meetings. People writing things like “I can’t believe you voted this way” or “why did you vote that way?” People are already saying they are going to vote them out in two years. The fact is, this is a new Council and a new term. Some are new at it and some are old vets. However, to be fair and fair minded we must give them a certain amount of time before you start calling for blood. You will never find anyone that you totally agree with, including someone you voted for and supported. I have found myself in disagreement with everyone on Council at some point. I also have agreed with everyone on Council at some point. You have to look at a person’s record collectively and not judge them on one act at a time. How many of us would be in trouble if we were judged by only one act instead of our collective effort? Just because someone does one thing you don’t agree with does not give you the right to jump ship on that person. Give people time to adapt and feel their way around a little. Give the new Council a respectable amount of time to get acclimated. Then, if they are still disappointing you regularly, go for the jugular and mount an opposition against them.
I came very close to being one of the seven this time around. I would hope that the wonderful people I met while running my campaign would give me this same courtesy. I don’t agree with anyone 100 percent of the time. As a matter of fact, I recently spoke up and publicly disagreed with some members of Council that I consider my friends. However, that doesn’t mean I don’t like them or that they can’t handle the job. It means that we don’t agree on a certain issue. People can not be perfect and no one can satisfy everyone but with patience and understanding most people will not let you down. If you believe in someone enough to vote for them, then you should give them the benefit of the doubt, at least for a while.
** A shorter version of this blog entry was sent into the Anderson Independent-Mail**

Matthew Hilley