Blackstone's Mayor-Elect Attempts to Set the Record Straight on Conflict of Interest Issue...

The comments below were submitted by Billy Coleburn in response to a recent post discussing Mr. Coleburn's dual role as the Town of Blackstone's newly elected Mayor and chief editor of the Town's paper, The Blackstone Courier-Record. Mayor Colburn took exception to the "tone" of some of the comments in regard to the Iconoclast piece, and he attempts to answer some of these comments. Thanks for your response Mr. Coleburn, and I wish you the best of luck as Mayor of Blackstone!

This is Blackstone Mayor-elect and Courier-Record editor Billy Coleburn,here LIVE on this entertaining blog, to which I was referred by a Farmville friend.

I appreciate your comments--even the biting ones--and your concerns, and I promise to continue making sure the citizens of Blackstone and beyond are informed accurately and timely about their local governments.

Our newspaper, the 6,385-circulation weekly Courier-Record, has won many awards for the manner in which we inform citizens about their communities. I plan for that to continue.

I have hired a reporter to cover the Town Hall beat, and given her complete flexibility and independence, and clear instructions that if I say something stupid or offensive, to be sure and print it. I realize I'll be under the microscope and welcome the scrutiny. I've always tried to do the right thing for the right reasons. The more people know about their local government and public positions/public actions/public comments by public servants, the better.

I promise to be an attentive, outgoing, positive ambassador for Blackstone,and I will strive to make my critics proud of their next Mayor. I will do so without pandering. I campaigned by knocking on just about every door in Blackstone, and making people well aware of my dual roles, my family's history of public service, and also listening to their concerns and welcoming their questions about my many community hats. In addition to serving as editor of the paper and Mayor-elect, I am also Girls Softball Commissioner, and have served as head of my church's Board of Deacons for two years (Blackstone Presbyterian Church). Trust me, if you can keep peace in little league softball, you can truly bring the masses together!

One thing you might note--the Mayor of Blackstone does not vote, only in cases of ties. With a 7-member Council, I cannot recall that happening in the last 50 years. The Mayor of Blackstone DOES have veto power, but five votes from the 7-member Council overrides the veto. There has been ONE Mayoral veto, and that was about 60 years ago. I bring up the issue of voting primarily because the term "Conflict of Interest" has been thrown around, and in most cases, inaccurately.

"Conflict of interest" normally refers to a situation when an elected official has a vote pending on an issue. If that vote goes a certain way in which the elected official can profit in his private capacity, then that's potential for a "conflict of interest," and in most cases, the elected official will not vote.

The blog comment about me talking too much while interviewing people forstories in the newspaper, unfortunately, is 100% accurate. I'm still working on that one! I'm far from perfect and have made many mistakes in the past.

I must dispute one thing in the blog's comments section--I am not a "caustic right-wing hack" and don't plan to ever have an "R" beside my name, or a "D"for that matter, either. The parties have become too mean-spirited and partisan. If Bush found a cure for cancer, Democrats would say it was too risky. If Democrats invented a reliable, super-performing solar or battery car, Republicans would say they're too risky and pose a threat to national security.

Yes, I voted for Kilgore. He deserved to lose. He ran a negative campaign. And while I tend to disagree with Governor Kaine (D) on a number of issues, I find him to be a genuine good guy, and in the scheme of things, being a good man should still count for something these days. In fact, it should count for a lot these days. I also appreciate Kaine's can-do tone, which also is important these days. He is now my Governor, and I respect him.

I definitely lean to the right and consider myself "conservative," and have always tried to be tolerant of all other people. I have always tried to be pleasant and open-minded while debating others. At the end of the day, as a recent letter-writer said of me and my philosophies, we are all Americans.

What bothers me is the tone of some of the comments--both on the blog, and elsewhere in politics. You can really feel the hatred, and that's not healthy for any of us. But always remember what Nixon said about those who hate you. When you hate them back, they've won.

I'm pro-life, and in recent years, have become more and more anti-death penalty. I still waffle on that one. I'm a big believer in the right to bear arms, although I have chosen personally NOT to own a handgun. Hunting, youth sports, photography, and talking all kinds of sports/politics are among my hobbies. I voted for Bush twice, but am very upset with him for not securing our borders and not calling a "time-out" after 9/11 and getting our domestic house in order and our borders safe before stretching our military thin all around the globe. I know these comments have no real bearing on Blackstone, but you have a right to know where I stand on all kinds of
things.

Like many people, I try to be a good Christian and fail often. It is hard to do those things that Jesus would do, such as turning the other cheek and blessing those who persecute you. I'm getting better at it each and every day, but only through God's love.

I've been happily married for 15 years and have two wonderful daughters, age10 and age 7.

I don't have all the answers, but I love my hometown and its people. When I graduated from William & Mary in 1990, I chose to return home, and home iswhere my heart will always be.

THANKS FOR LISTENING!