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Real hope for our WV public schools

Columnists

At last we can begin to expect good news from local public schools because we are getting new local leadership and more effective state quality assessments. This week the Charleston Gazette-Mail and The Elkins Inter-Mountain both published articles reporting changes in county leadership and in private school assessment from state government. I sincerely believe that new county leaders will tell the truth, and that West Virginai Legislators will decide to establish meaningful assessment for institutions receiving tax dollars from the State of West Virginia. On Tuesday, our new ...

Corridor H: More miles opened, more reasons for concern

Letters to the Editor

On June 22, the Governor, with federal, state, and local officials, highway workers, contractors, consultants, and citizens including a sign-carrying Go North delegation, opened a section of Corridor H between Kerens and Rt. 72 north of Parsons. Eleven years of construction had extended the highway eleven miles. From the west, 51 miles of the four-lane are now open from I-79 at Weston to Parsons. Construction is ongoing on 3.5 miles east of Rt. 72, crossing the Cheat River bridge to US 219 as it climbs Backbone Mountain. From the east, 66 miles are open from Wardensville to Davis. ...

Words of American Leadership

Columnists

When I listen to the current bluster and bullying that comes from our leaders now in this 250th anniversary year of our American experiment in democracy, I realize that trash talk may work in wrestling matches, but it has no place in negotiations on war when decency and diplomacy could save lives and allow people on earth to live in peace and harmony. With good rhetoric in mind, I have been looking in Jon Meacham’s book, American Struggle: Democracy, Dissent, and the Pursuit of a More Perfect Union: an Anthology. This Pulitzer Prize winning collection of speeches by great Americans ...

Remembering Madison at 250

Columnists

As the United States prepares to celebrate 250 years of its Independence, it is proper to examine the career of James Madison, the fourth president of the Republic. More than any other, he shaped the Constitution in the 1780’s. Both as a politician and as president, he worried about the “fell spirit of factious opposition.” He borrowed copiously from the scholars of the Roman Republic. Cicero, Polybius, and other worthies were invoked to illustrate the fragility of representative government. Certainly, Madison had much to be concerned about. He witnessed in 1798 the efforts by ...

Five ways to reduce leadership variance

Columnists

Reducing variance has been a key focus of mine for many years. Notice I said many years. It shows that reducing variance is a never-ending journey. Is leadership variance always a bad thing? There are those situations when a leader may vary an approach seeking improvement. I call these operational trials. There are times when a situation arises where a process or action needs to not be followed. These are isolated or emergency situations. In general, reducing leadership variance is important and helpful. Why? Employees perform better when there is consistency, which is driven by ...

In a state of flux

Columnists

You have to hand it to him, Donald Trump is a master at keeping matters in a state of flux. The short but sweet "agreement" amounted to an understanding to negotiate between the United States and Iran. Nothing was fully decided except perhaps the opening of the Straits of Hormuz. As with everything regarding Trump, it has to have an asterisk attached. Trump continues to fake and fire. Despite the understanding that this was an agreement that failed to address the original goals, which were regime change in Tehran, a definitive statement on nuclear arms and ballistic missiles being ...