Mayor on Duty

I attended a wonderful tribute to the late Katherine Willoughby at the Shakespeare and Company Bookseller last Friday afternoon. Mrs. Willoughby was the owner and operator of the bookstore for many years and an honored […]

I fired my large kiln this weekend in preparation for the Village Square Art Show that begins on Saturday. I have been making pots since 1968, and after getting out of the Army in 1972, […]

Thursday night is the August meeting of the Highlands Town Board of Commissioners. It will begin with public comment at 7 pm. The meeting can be accessed remotely by using the YouTube link on the […]

I was at an inaugural Earth Day convocation 53 years ago this month, and it will be celebrated again this year on Saturday, April 22. I had a little longer hair back in April 1970 […]

Last Thursday, the town board and staff conducted an all-day budget workshop, aka the Highlands Town Retreat. This event signaled the start of the budget process for the coming year. It will be followed up […]

Last Wednesday, our Town Manager Josh Ward, and I took the five-hour drive to Raleigh to attend the North Carolina League of Municipalities Town and State Dinner for 2023. This event always takes place at […]

I was optimistic, and the staff was too, that the town would receive a state grant to replace the aging pre-clarifier tank at the water tank. The town had resubmitted the grant we applied for […]

Pictured above are HFR firefighters and an HPD officer pouring water on a house fire in Sagee Woods a day after the initial emergency call was made. The fire took multiple days to fully extinguish. […]

As mayor, I like getting positive feedback, all elected officials do, it makes for a good week and last week was a very good week. After writing this column last week, where I proposed […]

We went to St. Simons Island this past weekend. When I visit other communities, I’m always looking for new ideas and how other towns address common municipal problems. As I have mused in the […]

The Town’s Planning & Development Director is implementing the provisions of the newly adopted Short-Term Rental Ordinance. The Town Board approved the ordinance on September 15, 2022. Since then, several questions have arisen about the […]

Part 1 – The Local Government Process: I am not the Kim Jong-il of Highlands. Nor am I “Boss Hogg” directing town employees and the police to follow my commands. I sometimes suspect a few […]

After difficult events, it’s wise to review and reflect. Case in point, “the big freeze,” just before Christmas. Highlands hasn’t had extreme below-0 temperatures in over a decade. Visitors are now in Highlands year-round. The […]

It’s back, snow that is, and we all need to be prepared. The official winter season is just around the corner with next Wednesday being the first official day. Last year we dodged a bullet […]

It’s a shame that Highlands… I’m ashamed that Highlands… I get emails with these kinds of salutations on a routine basis. Just this past week I received an email with the “shame” opening remark. Although I could […]