OPINION: Time to pull up our bootstraps as American tax paying citizens and stand up

Most of the one side of my family has lived in and around Warren County for a very long time. In discussions I have had with family and others in the area, the perception of leadership since the 1980s has seemed to steadily decline in the areas of government leaders, law enforcement, and even dealing with drugs and other illegal activities. Even though the County and the town of Front Royal has seen times of infrastructure improvement and new businesses welcomed into the area, there is perceived to be through media and “talk around town” a steady decline in morals, ethics, and just common decency and transparency from the standpoint of governmental leadership, enforcement of law and order, and related business dealings for which the citizens deserve and should demand as residents, voters, and taxpayers.

This spring brought the ultimate clarity of a decline when the top of local law enforcement, the sheriff, took his own life with the presumption of illegal activity looming for this long serving public servant. This should be a loud wake up call to everyone that the corruptness you thought existed and suspected in at least some areas most likely exists and has tentacles into other areas of town and county politics and government as well as some businesses, but the courts and investigators will have to determine hopefully the true depths as well as guilt and innocence of this activity, and all the individuals involved.

If the residents of Front Royal and the County of Warren expect to see a return of peaceful and orderly living for them and their families and desire a Respect and Trust in the elected officials and employees of the Town and County, than folks in the local organizations, churches, households, and businesses are going to need to pull up their bootstraps as American tax paying citizens and stand up.

One clear way to pull up those boot straps would be to clean house. Not to proclaim guilt or misdoing on any person in particular myself as that is for the courts and evidence to prove out the truth, but to clear the air and give the community a renewed confidence in their leadership, may I suggest that citizens need a whole new supervisory board and council, new leadership in the town and county law enforcement, and these selections need to be backed by your state representatives and state law enforcement to remove all of the suspected and/or perceived corruptness that has been a cloud over the area for a long time.

Further, don’t think you are cleaning house if you end up electing people to office that are even remotely related to anyone or any event in question that has occurred in the County or Town over the last 20-25 years, or you are fooling yourself that things will get better; much less re-elect previous people that have stepped down, etc… Because the corruptness will just carry on for the next generation of your family to have to deal with. Lastly, electing any person who moves into the community and just wants a hobby into a public leadership role should be looked at carefully. The public should always want the opportunity to have the final say.

As a man who has fond memories of spending time in Warren County as a boy, I hope and pray that the next quarter century is better for this community, but the citizens have to want that by making your voices loud and clear that enough is enough, and by showing up at the ballot box to make your voice have substance, and showing up in numbers at council and board meetings. I hope that each person will take this time in local history very seriously for your community and your family’s sake.

Keith Jones
Martinsburg, West Virginia