Likins did not lose her cool

I attended the special meeting of the Hilton Head Island Town Council’s Community Services Committee on Sept. 26. In no way did committee chair Kim Likins “lose her cool” at this meeting. Nor were her remarks either “inappropriate” or “unwarranted.” She was controlled, eloquent, and accurately reflected the lack of regular order that took place at this meeting.

Likins had requested that the committee discuss and agree on the criteria the town should use for awarding grants to nonprofits and other organizations. Committee member Bill Harkins’ refusal to discuss this topic, saying “my proposal is better than yours,” was not only breathtakingly rude, it was a disservice to the taxpayers of this community who will be contributing substantially to the funding of these grants.

As Harkins proceeded, it became clear that no general criteria would be discussed or agreed on, but that the grant of more than $500,000 to the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina should be considered solely on its own merits. Those of us who had hoped to understand the town’s rationale for granting public monies to other organizations, both now and for the foreseeable future, were left with no guidelines to follow.

This story was originally published September 29, 2017 at 8:11 AM with the headline "Likins did not lose her cool."