Editorials

The hiring last week of Chip Minnis as the new police chief of Simpsonville was a victory on many fronts.

Certainly it was a great victory for Minnis, who has toiled for decades in the police departments of Shelbyville and Simpsonville.

Certainly it was a triumph for the city of Simpsonville, which basically not only was able to keep its police department intact during a leadership change but also able to hire a native son, a person who knows the community so well, to police its streets.

It’s really a positive in a community when decision-makers listen to public input and respond appropriately.
That’s why it was refreshing to hear last week about the aggressive changes that the Shelby County A&M board had adopted for the upcoming Shelby County Fair.
Last year the fair had come under significant criticism because of its high prices for admission and ride bracelets and for its restrictive gate practices.
Those complaints were well-founded and – much  more importantly – well-received.

Citizens in Mount Eden, on both sides of the Shelby and Spencer county lines, are putting up the good fight against what ultimately may be the most overpowering opponent other than death that any of us will face: the United States government.
They fear – and with good cause – that they will lose their venerable post office to the aggressive cost-cutting plan that the United States Postal Service is employing to combat the diminishing income of its once great monopoly.

This Saturday more than 400 seniors will gather for commencements at Shelby County and Collins high schools in celebrations of accomplishment defined by perseverance, commitment and pursuit of excellence.

Many of them will have exceeded expectations and withstood obstacles great and small to achieve their levels of success. Some will have created a legacy for academic excellence that will stand for their rest of their lives. Others will be happy just to be there.