Hilton Head town police force could maintain decorum | Letters

Here we go again: Skip Hoagland out of control at the latest Hilton Head Island Town Council meeting. And our leaders continue to struggle on how to deal with him.

Ward 5 Councilmen Tom Lennox has taken a good first step. The mayor and council already have rules to deal with this silly behavior.

Sheriff P.J. Tanner’s decision to not allow his deputies to maintain decorum is extremely disappointing. You would not have this problem if Hilton Head followed the lead of every other municipality in Beaufort County. They have their own police departments.

Are you happy with what has been going on? If not, get involved

The May River is threatened, headlines say. Again, the politicians say, let’s hire someone to study the problem. That’s called “kicking the can down the road.”

Don’t re-elect these smooth-talking do-nothings. The answer is over-development, cutting our trees, blacktopping everything in sight, and septic systems – many already known to be bad. Fix that and you save the May River. There, I studied it.

Development and environmental problems start with the Planning Commissions in the town of Bluffton, Hilton Head Island and Beaufort County. Developers get the “green light” because they meet some obscure T-2 or U-5 development code numbers. After passage, the developer returns with demands to make changes not brought out initially, but miraculously mandatory now. Unless the public gets up in arms, the developer’s wishes are granted. Development is good. Really?

Who are these commission members? Do you know? What are their qualifications? How long have they been members? Are they just reappointed term after term? What does it mean serving “at-large”? Who allows someone to serve “at-large,” particularly as the chairman or vice chairman?

Why do the same names keep popping up on different councils, committees and commissions? Is this an elitist “click”? You need to find out. Question loudly. Community development problems start at the Planning Commissions.

Are you happy with what has been going on? If not, get involved. Demand new faces, not the elites who feel they are the only enlightened ones having proper insight to our area’s future. Common sense, anyone?

Put country above party

U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham says he puts Lowcountry above party. I agree he has supported good policies for us. I wish he had supported spending offsets to pay for those policies.

I would like to see him putting country above party. For months, I asked his position on USMCA, without response until he decided to vote for impeachment. Now we can surmise the party bowed to support impeachment before House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would let him show support for USMCA.

Now he tells us he buys into the far-left impeachment scenario: Abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Clear facts? No firsthand witness of coercion. Aid released without any deliverable on the favor request to investigate 2016 election involvement. No crime has been identified. Based on the latest report from the inspector general in the Department of Justice, more investigation of 2016 election would be prudent.

The Constitution makes way for the adjudication of disputes between Congress and the executive branch to be done in the courts, not through impeachment. The House bypassed that step. You have to wonder how Joe will vote if a Democrat proposes changes that bypass the Electoral College, First Amendment and Second Amendment?

I would advise Joe to stop whining about political free speech.

This story was originally published December 22, 2019 at 1:00 AM with the headline "Hilton Head town police force could maintain decorum | Letters."