Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Crying Wolf While Undermining Community Values

Aesop’s Fable  “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” keeps coming to mind. No data centers! Boost tourism! But actions speak louder than words, and in direct opposition to keeping out the big city vibes, four out of five Board of Supervisors are allocating the funding of Samuels Public Library to a for-profit, big-box store.

If sustainable, fiduciary responsibility has been the primary goal, and boosting a tourism economy is truly on the table as a solution, why wasn’t this a primary conversation two years ago? Why has the County Director of Economic Development and Tourism position remained unfilled for over a year?

As a gateway community, showcasing one-of-a-kind community attributes such as your over 200-year-old, local, non-profit, award-winning library filled with its own rich history, located a mile from Shenandoah National Park, would be a no-brainer. Does this not align with promoting the historic downtown or a potential educational partnership with the National Park Service?

To quote a five-part series on economic development, Jamieson claims his tourism plan “builds on who we already are.” Yet actions to dismantle “who we already are” are in full force and are anything but “organic.”

Make it make sense.

We’ve seen strong hints that the public schools are next. As a Warren County graduate, the public school facilities have progressed significantly over the last twenty years. When I graduated, we had one of the only asphalt tracks in the state. Now, there is more than one synthetic track, two high schools, and updated facilities. Fellow Warren County High School graduates have chosen to stay in the community and continue educating future generations, so to see the talk of dismantling all the progress that has been made is disheartening.

While the last two years have created a divide in the community, it is also bringing the core community together and making it stronger. Thank you to those choosing common sense and human decency and the Samuels family for being a pillar of strength. We don’t have to agree with everything our elected officials do, but rest assured, Preserve Warren County, Supervisor Cullers, George Cline, and Hugh Henry are longtime residents of Warren County who only want what is best for the long-term health of their community.

Cry wolf enough times, and faith is lost.

Emily Harrison Torrence
Warren County High School Alumna

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