A campaign being conducted verbally, via telephone, and via e-mail is asking citizens to make their feelings known about the situation that has already cost the village money and given the overall community a black eye.
Joe Thomas, in a mailing to residents, points out: “Whispering Pines has always been a safe, friendly and caring community. We cannot sit by and let it be destroyed. We, the majority, must fill the Village Hall at every meeting and voice our support for the council in their decisions and for the chief in his handling of the day-to-day responsibilities of the police and fire departments.”
To recap: A half-dozen Whispering Pines residents, led by Joe Stout and Gail Julian, have been attacking the village, its government, and its police chief ever since Louis Gregory was selected for the position, rather than a candidate they preferred. They have inundated the village clerk and the Police Department with requests for virtually every conceivable document under the sun, forcing employees to spend valuable time satisfying their queries instead of tending to the business at hand.
Accusations have been made that have not been substantiated. Civility has been set aside, and petty and spiteful bickering has been introduced to replace logic and common sense.
To those outside Whispering Pines, the village appears to be in turmoil. Yet, of the 2,000-plus residents of the community, it is just the handful that is being heard and quoted. So it is logical for those looking in to see a boiling pot about to overflow.
That is far from the case.
Gregory, officially the village’s director of public safety, has done an outstanding job since taking over. The community is safe, its citizens are treated with respect, and the police and fire departments make us proud.
I have been in the company of many when the subject of our village police chief has been raised. Whether it was the talk on the golf course, at the dinner table, or at a public gathering, the comments have been 100 percent favorable, and even to hint otherwise is incorrect.
Therefore, the current move by residents to show their support of the village and its public safety personnel is crucial.
The council has indicated it will provide vocal backing of Gregory to counter the dissenters. In reality, what the council should do is pass a resolution commending the work of Gregory and his men while indicating that he has the full support of the overall village of Whispering Pines and its governing body.
To be blunt, it is astonishing that Gregory has remained on the job.
His No. 2, Lt. Robert Doby, has resigned from the force after many years on the job. Though he did not say so, many in the village speculate that Doby simply became fed up with the harassment and decided to leave the Whispering Pines force for one where there was less friction.
In his resignation letter, he said that working with Gregory had been a “real privilege” and lauded his superior for the support he provided.
Gregory’s nearly two years in Whispering Pines have not been easy ones. After 38 years in the law-enforcement field, he retired from CSX railroad and moved to the Sandhills area.
He does not need the aggravation that currently comes with the village job. Though he told me in an interview shortly after he arrived in the village that he was here to stay, that vow has to have been tested severely over the past few months.
“Whispering Pines is one of the best communities I have ever come across,” he said. “Only a minute few have caused any problems. So, yes, being here seems right.”
Unfortunately, that was not his comment today but rather in November 2003. It may not be the way he sees things now.
So far, nothing seems to satisfy the village naysayers. They conducted a march against the Village Council and gained nothing but derision. They ran for seats on the Village Council and were whumped. They sued the village and it cost them (and every village resident) money.
So just maybe the current move to get people to voice their support for the government that has served them well and the police and fire departments that run with efficiency and professionalism might penetrate the minds of the few who haven’t yet got the message.
Let’s hope so.
If Louis Gregory ultimately decides he has had enough, every one of the village’s 2,147 residents will be the loser. Yes, even the half-dozen who drove him away.
Don Winslow lives in Whispering Pines and can be
e-mailed at donwin@charter.net
