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
Transcript (auto-generated)
Cullers – Roll-Call to Table CUP
0:00Yeah, it’s I I if we do this, then we need to have something that is consistent. I like the gentleman’s um
0:09
9 secondssuggestion that we use a percentage or something because
0:16
16 secondswe just denied one because of setbacks and now we’re struggling with this one and
0:26
26 secondsit doesn’t feel quite fair. So I you know when we do this I think it needs to
0:32
32 secondsbe um with with an ordinance that’s going to go to public hearing. Correct.
0:39
39 secondsJust like this. So yes, I I want I I want to make sure that we have
0:45
45 secondsum a lot of public feedback because I I want to make sure we’re doing this fairly across the board for everyone.
0:53
53 secondsAnd um this this is my struggle tonight. So um
1:00
1 minuteyes, I want um to have it looked at, but I’d like to make sure that we have a lot of public input as well for this.
Chapter 2: Supervisor Richard Jamieson – Orwellian Double Speak
1:09
1 minute, 9 secondsAnd he said that Samuels belongs to the people. This is truly or will double speak for Samuels is in fact a private
1:17
1 minute, 17 secondslibrary company that has absolute governance authority over publicly funded services. Uh Louis Simone North
Chapter 3: Lewis Moten
1:24
1 minute, 24 secondsRiver. I’m not here to talk about a double plus good library. Um but I would recommend about your cup handling. Uh
1:32
1 minute, 32 secondsthe gentleman who was declined, I would invite him back. Maybe after you make your decision because you want to have equal sayings about what you come up with, maybe give him a waiver of a fee.
1:44
1 minute, 44 secondsMaybe consider some of the more recent people as well. I think it would be a bit fair. Um, another issue I’ve been
1:52
1 minute, 52 secondskind of annoyed by quite often, that light
1:58
1 minute, 58 secondsand that roof. So, every time I look at you guys, when I look at that light, I’m thinking there’s cracks. Everybody needs
2:06
2 minutes, 6 secondsto like clean up a little bit or something. But, um, yeah, I don’t really have much else to say. That’s it. So,
2:14
2 minutes, 14 secondsthanks,
