How we represent ‘The 45’ matters

An Editorial Opinion of the Lowndes Signal

An often-quoted adage describes the far-reaching implications of some recent events taking place in Lowndes County Commission meetings. Used to describe one long-term impact of how elected officials conduct themselves one version reads, “Representation matters. You can’t be what you can’t see.”

The June 24 Lowndes County Commission meeting hosted a donation request by the Distinguished Young Women of Lowndes County (DYW). Three highschoolers and a college student attended the meeting with their director, Hanna Thrower, and Thrower’s elementary-aged daughter. Sadly, what the young women saw acted out by elected officials included the use of profanity, accusations, anger and political maneuvering.

The group attends a commission meeting each year, and this year, they got more than they bargained for, witnessing a display that is not uncommon for the sometimes three-hour-long commission meetings. Stakeholders invested in the dilemma over where to house Sheriff’s investigators’ offices engaged in a heated discussion during which one commissioner, Robert Harris, angered Sheriff Chris West with threats of cutting power to existing investigations’ facilities. West, visibly upset by the exchange, invited Harris to step outside.

The commission conducted other important business during that meeting, specifically addressing the critical need for a dialysis center. Because 65 citizens travel outside the county for dialysis service and commissioners talk often about how healthcare disparities and the lack of readily available services affect quality of life for citizens, The Lowndes Signal first focused meeting coverage on the updates of those efforts.

Harris delivered a written statement to the commission on July 8 requesting actions to address West’s behavior. The statement alleged that West was armed during the encounter, a claim West said was untrue and one which could breed fear in the hearts of citizens peace officers strive to protect.

An oral statement Harris delivered as “Part 2” of his July 8 presentation alleged bias by the Signal. Harris requested the commission cease participating in Signal coverage because of the newspaper’s “refusal” to publish details of the June 24 altercation.

Topics that affect and are of interest to the greatest number of people are prioritized in coverage of municipal government meetings where multiple discussions or decisions are conducted. With so many citizens impacted by the need for a dialysis center and other health care facilities, the decision to highlight the discussion of possible healthcare grants in coverage of the meeting was an easy one. Harris’ claim that a Signal reporter refused to cover the altercation and said a dialysis center was more important than commissioners’ lives is just one example of Harris’ frequent attempts to twist someone’s words to suit his own agenda.

Harris’ claim of bias in the Signal’s coverage at Farrior’s direction is not the first instance in which he criticized Farrior in an open forum and accused him of directing county business. Farrior, however, rarely responds, a difference in behavior that begs the question of what outcomes Harris hopes will develop from his accusations.

In September 2018, commissioners censured Harris, at the suggestion of an attorney, for allegedly racist remarks. It appears that his efforts at fostering dissention among citizens and elected officials began long ago and continues even today.

Many groups are working for a brighter future for Lowndes County, truly striving to invest in people and the community by creating “a 45” rich with unity. The Signal is working for that, too, in hopes that future generations can see better so that they may do better, act better, be better than what they have witnessed from some leaders.