Surprise move is what lacked transparency on Hilton Head Town Council

Your recent editorial on Hilton Head Island Town Council’s dealings with the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce missed the mark and demonstrated a bit of hypocrisy.

The concern was about a different kind of transparency – a seemingly surprise call for a vote on the Chamber invoice matter without the prior knowledge of all council members and the Chamber.

The Packet has been quick and justified to criticize the leadership of the school board who circulated information to a few board members and then sprang the information on the remaining board members at the board meeting. Such was the case with the exit compensation package for the former superintendent.

If the Packet frowned upon such behavior from the school board, why were they not equally disturbed that a new element was being added to a motion to dispense funds to the Chamber without the prior knowledge of the entire Town Council?

Transparency is the standard for how public funds are allocated and administered. However, when contracts are negotiated, all should be fully cognizant of the other’s position and certainly all the members of one side involved in a negotiation must receive the same information in a timely manner.

Councilman Marc Grant had it right. All the members of the council needed to be fully informed and have the opportunity to sit with their business partner to hammer out the details of an agreement in a work session environment. Transparency also applies to every council member being fully informed.

November vote is about socialism

“Impeach Trump?” A statement being made over and over again by Democrats, the newspapers and TV. To what end?

If the Democrats take over the House in November, what will the impeachment process accomplish? If Trump is impeached, what chance is there that the Senate will vote to remove him from office with a three-quarters vote threshold to overcome? A typical example of Congress wasting their time on a non-issue. However, to Democrats it really doesn’t matter so long as it gives them the opportunity to regain power.

Readers must realize that the Democratic Party is all about power and not promoting American interests domestically and abroad. They believe that their goal, especially today’s Democrats, is to transform America into a socialist country – that Americans should look to government to supply the majority of their wants and needs.

Adults today, under the age of 60, have been taught in our public schools and universities that capitalism is bad – that it takes money from the poor and middle class for the benefit of the leaders of business and industry. The recent tax cuts do not benefit anyone other than the wealthy. Believe it, if you pay taxes you will save money.

Do voters really wish for the Democrats to take over? It would mean the reversal of the tax cuts, the support of open borders, more sanctuary cities, more regulations, etc.

Is socialism in our future? Not if you vote in November to prevent it.

Hilton Head Town Council winners will be the ones who demand transparency

Hilton Head Island Mayor David Bennett’s parting shot at reopening the transparency issue with the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce should have all candidates paying attention.

The likely winners of the upcoming elections will be the candidates who demand such if the town is to continue doing business with them.

Deputies right to ticket visitors on Daufuskie

In a recent letter to the editor, visitors to Daufuskie Island from Utah were upset that they had been stopped one evening by “a local sheriff” and ticketed for allegedly having open containers in their golf cart (and made to wait 20 minutes).

I would hazard a guess that this could happen in Utah as well. Drinking and driving is unsafe regardless of where you are and in what kind of vehicle you are riding. I appreciate the work of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s deputies in helping to keep Daufuskie safe.