Some of the events that have been happening around Henderson lately would make good scripts for episodes of the Andy Griffith Show. What would Andy have said?
When Mike Satterwhite said in a court of law and on the record that it was “laughable” for the editor of Home in Henderson to call himself a journalist and to try to raise money for his legal fees — can’t you just imagine the dressing down Andy would have laid on him:
“Well, Land’s sake, Mr. Satterwhite, just cause Mr. Hester has you as a business partner and you being a lawyer and all, and just cause your firm holds the contract for the city attorney, ain’t no reason for you to get too big for your britches. Mr. Feingold is entitled to raise money in any fair and decent manner. Ain’t that just what a bunch of clients of yours did to fight the CO? Y’all put your money together. Just cause Mr. Hester might have enough money on his own for a lawyer is no cause for you think that Mr. Feingold can’t use all the resources at his disposal. No siree! Just cause y’all got a little more money don’t give you no cause to go saying bad things about Mr. Feingold just doing what he is right-smart to do. I hear tell he’s got right many friends and friends help friends. I believe you done stepped in it Mr. Satterwhite and it smells bad. It shore do.”
When it was reported that the city has discussed ensuring “…protection of current funding levels and joint participation unless mutually agreed to … and tying this to the sale of water, Andy would have had a field day:
“Well, Golly-Gee, Mr. County Manager! Do you think we folks in Henderson were born yesterday? Now why would you try to pull the wool over our eyes like this? Getting water ain’t got nothing to do with these bad joint venture contracts and now you wantin’ to go and make it so that we are stuck with them forever? You trying to sell us a pig in a poke. You trying to take advantage of folks here. You better go on back to where you came from and don’t even waste another breath on this rotten deal. You know we have a hired a City Manager and his code of ethics says that ‘The chief function of local government at all times (that is all times, now) is to serve the best interest (I repeat, best interest) of all people.’ And this mess you are bringing in here don’t serve nobody’s best interest other than all of you that have that little game of competition going on about who can outsmart who. We’re right sick of that game, too. Y’all need to stop all this foolishness ‘fore I have to go to Raleigh to get them folks down here to clear this up.”
When the Daily Dispatch published a story that inferred that the police were not responding to problems at a convenience store, Chief Sidwell wrote a letter to the wditor refuting many of the impressions left with the public about the lack of enforcement by giving the facts to back up his statements, Andy would have been proud:
“I done told you Aunt Bea that there comes a time when a man has just got to nip it in the bud and I mean nip it. It’s ok for your friends to gossip and carry tales but when Floyd reads something in the paper that just ain’t so, then I have to nip it in the bud. I got all the records to back me up so don’t you go worrying your pretty little head and if my job is in trouble because this law man ain’t gonna lie down and let them run over my men. If that day ever comes well then that fishing hole looks pretty good and that will be my new job. But as long as I am in charge, then I will nip it in the bud when I need to.”
From the time Andy Griffith recorded What It Was Was Football, he has been portraying characters with character. We need more Andy’s around here.