To Blog, or Not to Blog? Is that a question?

The day after I posted my first entry on this blog, I rushed to see whether anyone had read what I had written and had felt the need to comment.  I was excited to receive my first comment a couple of days later.  I have read every one since that first one, whether the comment was positive or in some cases, maybe not-so-positive, and I have appreciated each and every one of them.  

I received a comment this week from a person who chose to remain anonymous, to the effect that I shouldn't have a blog if I never posted on it.  Point taken.

When I started this blog, I wondered whether I would have adequate time to devote to the task.  Jeff Peterson, who obviously does a great job with his blog, was my blogging inspiration.  When Jeff was not re-elected, I thought I would give it a try.  I never aspired to the standard of excellence that Jeff Peterson achieved, but I had hoped to generate some discussion about county issues, sort of a public forum for the exchange of ideas, so I named my blog the "Sounding Board".  In other words, it was never intended to be a soapbox for me; rather, it was my hope that everyone with an interest in county issues would join in.   A few have joined in the discussion and made valuable contributions.

Yes, there is plenty going on in our county.  As a supervisor, I am working to do my best to represent my constituents.  Writing a blog is not something required of County Board Supervisors.  I am not about to make excuses, especially for not living up to someone else's expectations for a volunteer position as an amateur blogger.  Representing my District has been my priority, and will continue to be my priority, of course along with family and personal commitments.

There have been times in the past year when I have ached to write about subjects that have come up, but felt that my spouting off on the blog would not be appropriate or helpful to county interests.  In those cases, I have kept my opinions to myself.  Sometimes I have changed my mind before the vote as more information became available.  As a participant in the process, it is not always appropriate to "think out loud" on pending votes or controversies.