This Just In — I yearn for something normal, so let me start out with just that — let’s beat Duke on Saturday!
In just a week’s time, a great deal has happened that is far from normal. I needn’t list all of it. Rather, I’d like to mention some stuff that might not get as much attention in the whirlwind of what our mad non-king is up to.
Of monumental importance, we held an election without incident, without interference, and with great Orange County integrity. Despite a well-resisted disinformation campaign, we resoundedly re-elected our sheriff — an excellent public servant who we’re lucky to have.
There were qualified people who didn’t get the job or get re-elected and nobody is throwing rocks over it. That’s a glorious thing. For everyone who ran and didn’t make the cut this time, thank you for offering yourself to serve our community. That in itself is a service and one I don’t take for granted – especially now.
The good people who volunteer as poll workers are just angels directly from heaven, so thank you for your gift to us. The folks in the board of elections who I’m sure were in a mad scramble to complete and publish the vote count on Tuesday night … thank you for always giving us numbers in which we can have complete confidence. This is a big achievement for our community and you all deliver cycle after cycle.
I ran for a seat on the Orange County Board of Education 32 years ago. I learned a lot through that experience. In an orientation provided by the then-superintendent, the candidates were given some actually excellent insight. This was surprising to me since I wasn’t a fan of his.
”If school board meetings are the best show in town, you’re not doing your job,” he said. In all these years since, it’s more and more clear — he was absolutely right about that.
The Orange County School Board does not appear to be the best show in town these days. The re-election of its incumbents is a good sign of stability for the board. This is not to say “Don’t rock the boat.” Instead, it’s reassuring to see the board rowing in the same direction – toward student achievement, equity and continuous improvement.
On another matter, not of elected office, but nonetheless political, it looks like the powers that be at the tippy top of the UNC system were just one foul shot away from pulling the trigger on moving the Smith Center to an off-campus location.
Thanks to a tremendous groundswell of opposition, that has at least paused. I have to say this brings me back to Duke. Cameron Indoor is a wonderful venue (I hope not to be struck by lightning for saying this) and Duke’s fans are at the top of the college game in the way they support their team, rocking that place and raising the roof during games.
I have no doubt whatsoever that Duke could build and fill an arena three times the size of Cameron, but like a popular restaurant that always has a line out the door, they don’t do it.
The Smith Center would benefit from some modernization, but the idea that a brand new venue is a necessary and wanted “improvement” is as ridiculous as a gigantic White House ballroom. Nobody’s pining for it. Nobody.
How about we make a similar level of investment into the faculty with tenure track positions or holding down tuition? To the board of governors, I would suggest that when your meetings are the best show in town, you’re not doing your job.
Let’s keep talking about making the Smith Center better and remember – Dean Smith was an educator, not just a great coach.
Go Heel, Beat Dook!
(featured image via Todd Melet)
Jean Bolduc is a freelance writer and the host of the Weekend Watercooler on 97.9 The Hill. She is the author of “African Americans of Durham & Orange Counties: An Oral History” (History Press, 2016) and has served on Orange County’s Human Relations Commission, The Alliance of AIDS Services-Carolina, the Orange County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, and the Orange County Schools’ Equity Task Force. She was a featured columnist and reporter for the Chapel Hill Herald and the News & Observer.
Readers can reach Jean via email – jean@penandinc.com and via Twitter @JeanBolduc
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