The man won no converts to his cause as he rose again and again to ask pointed questions about the proposed $9 million purchase of the portion of the county water and sewer system that serves Pinehurst. It was clear to all that he was less interested in learning about the proposal than in making his own strident statement.
By contrast, Mayor Steve Smith and his staff may have changed some minds by the patience and politeness of their answers to those many questions — and generally for the good case they seemed to make for buying the water system.
Before the information sessions began, many observers — including this newspaper — had feared that the village would not be able to resist the temptation to use them as heavyhanded propaganda sessions. Those fears proved to be largely unfounded. The village made its case in a compelling, just-the-facts-ma’am way.
As audience members filed out of the Village Hall after the recent session, some could be seen shaking their heads, having seemingly swapped their allegiance from against the proposal to for it. That was because the officials had handled the awkward situation so professionally.
They negated some of that advantage by deciding to forbid anyone from asking more than five questions per session. The village shouldn't make itself look as if it’s in the business of silencing public debate on such an important civic matter.
In fact, officials ought to host these sessions a couple of times a week from now until the election, invite all dissidents to dominate the questioning, and vow to continue conducting themselves with civility and professionalism. The marked contrast with the tactics used by some opponents can only help the village’s effort.
