I, too, am concerned that the emphasis on consensus has stifled serious discussions on the many issues that face Davidson, not the least of which is our substantial investment in MI Connection.

The recent 3-2 vote on our budget was cited as a rare example of dissent among the town commissioners. However, I would maintain that for all intents and purposes there was near unanimous agreement on the budget. All of the commissioners agreed upon the expenditures proposed by Town Manager Leamon Brice. The disagreement was over a minor difference in how the expenditures would be financed. Commissioners Wessner and Williams argued for a tax rate of 36 cents per hundred, while Commissioners Venzon, Jenest and Dreffer prevailed with a tax rate of 35 cents. The difference in revenue of about $100,000 was taken out of our savings account (aka “fund balance”).

This difference in tax rate amounts to less than a dime a day for the average Davidson household, and $100,000 of revenue on a $9 million budget is scarcely 1 percent of our overall spending. That these minute differences pass for dissent in Davidson gives you an idea of how focused on consent our elected officials are.

In 2007, our elected officials voted to participate in a nearly $100 million investment in a cable/Internet company, which unfortunately has become an albatross around the citizens of Davidson. This vote was unanimous in spite of strong community opposition to the purchase. The recent attempt to extend commissioners’ terms from two years to four years without a referendum shows that while the names have changed, the decision-making process has not. As your article correctly states, many of us in Davidson feel it is time to interject some debate and independence to our town’s decision-making process.

— Rodney Graham, Davidson