One of the things that personally irks me is the prevalence of litter, especially here in our beautiful Haywood County. We are blessed by God to be living here, yet some people routinely defile God’s creation through thoughtless tossing of soda and beer cans, Styrofoam cups, liquor bottles, cigarette packages, fast food boxes and bags, syringes, and countless other items along our roadways and along our waterways.
Aside from the ugliness, studies have shown that the presence of litter in a community can have a negative effect on property values.
It is my belief that the amount of litter that one can find in a neighborhood is an good barometer for measuring just how much civic pride a community has.A community that truly cares should not tolerate the prevalence of litter for long.
I have been involved for some time with doing cleanups in my community of Saunook, and have spent many afternoons going up and down Old Balsam Road with my wife picking up discarded trash, as well as other main roads throughout the community. It truly makes a difference to see the results after the job is done, and brings to me a great sense of satisfaction.
Over the past year other like-minded citizens who have care and concern for our community have joined me in cleanup projects in and around Waynesville. The results were fruitful, and go along way towards promoting pride in community.
As a county commissioner, I will be a voice speaking loudly for addressing issues pertaining to littering. I will participate and encourage citizen-driven cleanups, and engage in dialogue with officials from different departments and jurisdictions mutually affected by these problems.