The Warren County Board of Supervisors meeting on July 1, 2025, was a study in inconsistency. From the shifting rules of zoning to the literal state of the meeting room, it felt like a night where the “details” were finally catching up with the decision-makers.
The Admission of Inconsistency
During a roll-call to table a specific Conditional Use Permit (CUP) for a short-term rental, the Board reached a moment of rare candor. Supervisor Cheryl Cullers voiced a frustration that many residents had been feeling for months: the Board had recently denied one applicant for setbacks while struggling to approve a similar one.
She admitted, “It doesn’t feel quite fair.” It was a significant moment. The Board ultimately decided to table the ruling to seek more public input and strive for a more uniform approach. I took the podium to suggest that if the rules are in flux, the Board should consider those they had already declined. If the goal is a level playing field, we should be inviting previously rejected residents back—perhaps with a fee waiver—to ensure they aren’t victims of an unpredictable process.
Orwellian Rhetoric
The night took a literary turn when Supervisor Richard Jamieson referenced George Orwell’s 1984, labeling the idea that “Samuels belongs to the people” as “double-speak” due to its status as a private company.
I couldn’t help but lean into the metaphor during my three minutes. While I told the Board I wasn’t there to talk about a “doubleplusgood” library, I reminded them that true transparency and fairness are the best defenses against any “Orwellian” outcome. When governance feels arbitrary, that is when the public begins to lose trust in the “truth” of the process.
The State of the Room
Finally, I had to point out what everyone in the audience was seeing: the burnt-out lamp and the peeling ceiling. Every time a citizen looks up to address their leaders, they see literal cracks in the architecture.
It is hard to project an image of precise leadership or manage multi-million dollar budgets when the very room where those decisions are made is falling into disrepair. It’s a small detail, but in a county we want to be “easy to love,” maintenance matters—both in our laws and in our buildings.
Watch the Highlights
Track the debate and my observations at these timestamps:
- 0:00 – Supervisor Cullers on the struggle for consistency
- 1:09 – Supervisor Jamieson’s “Orwellian Double-Speak” comments
- 1:21 – My response on “Doubleplusgood” governance and the state of the ceiling
