You may pick up the local daily newspaper and it reads, “Adams County Supervisors vote to buy IP” or “Supervisors vote to refinance county hospital for $28,000,000” or “Supervisors vote to seek grant for promising Venco Company” or “County votes to raise taxes!”

What is lacking, many times, in these “news articles” is a brief, but valid description of the actual debate/discussion that went on between the supervisors that lead up to the vote.

Many times there aren’t even any quotes on the issue from supervisors, and believe me, there are always plenty to print. What is lacking, many times, is the naming of which supervisors were in the majority and which ones were in the minority and just why did they vote the way they did!

Omitting these critical components from the “news article,” whether intentional or not, leaves the reader only a vague and incomplete idea of what actually went on in the meeting. It seems a reader can pick up the Franklin Advocate and read an article on a local government meeting and you know exactly what went on in the meeting.

It seems a reader can pick up the Woodville Republican or the Miss-Lou Magazine and read an article on a local government meeting and after you read it, you feel as though you were in the actual meeting. You know which elected official said this or that. You know how and why each official voted and their reasoning behind their vote.

In the past and much of today, the reader knows very little about issues discussed in a closed executive session.

Which, by the way in my opinion, is used way too much by the board of supervisors to conduct taxpayers’ business. Sometimes it’s justified, but many times it’s not.

Many times I vote not to go into executive session. I want the discussion to be open and in public. Many county boards go into closed executive session, discuss and debate an issue, but, they come out of executive session and actually vote on the matter openly and publicly. I highly favor that procedure.

Actually, the public has a right to know immediately, what actions took place in the executive session. All the media has to do is ask, “what actions took place in the executive session?” and it should be told to them. The terms and conditions won’t be disclosed until 30 days later, when they are recorded in the courthouse. But, the actions by the board can be disclosed immediately. Very often there is no follow up by the daily news media and therefore the general public may never know what decisions were made in the closed executive sessions. That is not supposed to be!

There is one solution to help eliminate the vagueness and to make the meetings very clear to the taxpayers. There is one solution that would help the voters determine whether their supervisor is representing them or not.

I would like for every Adams County Board of Supervisors meeting to be televised on local TV. Not only would it solve some of the problems mentioned above, it would be a great public service and benefit to the working people who cannot personally attend the board meetings. They could see their county supervisors making policy, without even leaving their living room!

It takes a television production company, a local television station and money to make it happen. I might suggest that BCS Productions Company, right here in Natchez, is available to film the meetings.

I think the old Adams County Taxpayers Association still has some money in the bank. Since that association, who used to be such a good watchdog over taxpayers’ money, has not been very active lately, they may want to lend their service to help fund these televised meetings. And, local Channel 4 would be glad to put them in our living rooms!

Strange things happen when a camera is stuck in your face, especially when you know the general public is watching you! It tends to bring out the best in us, and who knows, there may even be less needed closed executive sessions.

Hopefully, BCS Productions Company and the old Taxpayers Association will contact one another and mutually agree it will help Adams County and its government.

Henry Watts is the District 2 county supervisor.