Do We Want Outsiders Running The Town?

The question comes up because last Tuesday, with no advance notice and without including the change on the published agenda, Oriental's Town Board amended the Parks and Rec ordinance to allow non-residents to serve on the advisory committee. The amended ordinance also provided that the Town Board's liaison to the Parks and Rec Committee could vote in case of a tie. Previously, only the Tourism Board allowed non residents to serve.

You can read about the entire meeting here. Town Dock reported the Parks and Rec issue: "Parks & Rec Board and Residency
The Town Board approved appointing Pat Stockwell to the Town’s Parks and Recreation Board after changing that Board’s rules so that those who live out of Town can serve on the panel. The rules before this were that board members had to be residents or business owners in Oriental. Three of the five members will still have to be Oriental residents. Commissioner Barbara Venturi, the Board’s liaison to the Parks and Rec Board also asked that the rules change so that the liaison can cast a tie-breaking vote at Parks and Rec meetings. The Town Board approved that change as well."

I bring this up, because I have problems with the Town relying on advice of people who don't actually live here. I have heard rumblings in some quarters that we should not allow non-residents to serve on the Tourism Board. This change appears to go in the opposite direction and caught local citizens unprepared to consider and address the implications.

I know it is hard to recruit citizens to serve on advisory boards. We might want to make an effort to find out why this is so hard and what we can do about it before going outside the Town to find recruits.

I have reviewed North Carolina General Statutes and learned that we have the right to appoint non residents. Still, I think it is not good public policy.

I would prefer requiring appointees to all of our boards be qualified voters in municipal elections.