By: Jim Shelton
School Board Trustee
To publicly call for the resignation of a public figure is not something done casually or flippantly. Those of us in the public trust must always be aware that decisions and attitudes affect our constituents in ways we may not be aware. Public service is not an electrical switch, something that can be turned on or off at a moment’s convenience. Wherever we go and whatever we do, we are on the job.
There is an expectation from the public that we take our roles seriously. An off-color or candid remark may be misunderstood by one’s audience. It’s in our collective best interest to avoid such incidents, and if not, then we are and should be held accountable for the words.

CLEMSON — A team from Clemson Elementary won the grand championship at the International JetToy Challenge last week in Detroit, Mich., beating out 120 engineer design teams from around the world.

Visitors from all over the Upstate flocked to the town of Central Saturday to participate in the town’s annual Railroad Festival. Above, a young festival-goer plays with a toy model train at one of the festival’s many sites for free entertainment for kids inside the Central Railway Museum.

CENTRAL — A Liberty man has been charged with criminal sexual conduct with a minor in the first degree in a case involving a 3-year-old child. The alleged incident is believed to have occurred in the parking lot of a Central-area church.

PICKENS — What do you get when you combine a fleet of classic automobiles with a night of music featuring 1960s teen idol Bobby Rydell? Answer: Blue Ridge Fest, the Upcountry’s most anticipated spring festival.
Rydell, known for such hits as “Kissin’ Time,” “Volare,” and“Wild One,” is the headline musical act of the May 11 event in Pickens, which also features one of South Carolina’s largest classic car cruise-ins. Also appearing on stage will be Jimmy Clanton, popular for ‘60s hits “Just a Dream” and “Venus in Blue Jeans.”

Hundreds turned out for the first ever Liberty Automotive Showcase and Festival in Liberty last Saturday. The event featured an abundance of classic cars and fun activities for kids, along with a wide variety of arts and crafts vendors from around the state. The festival is expected to become an annual event in downtown Liberty.

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth installment of a multi-part series of interviews conducted between Courier staff reporter Nicole Daughhetee and SDPC board trustee Jim Shelton, a former board chair.

Because there has been a long pause in the “Shelton Interviews” Bond Issue series, I thought it best to refresh the minds of our readers with a brief excerpt from the last installment:
Bob Folkman, an asset to the SDPC about whom Shelton speaks very highly, took the task upon himself and came back to Shelton several weeks later. Folkman said a second middle school in Easley was do-able, but there were some other issues with the building plan that needed to be addressed as well.
It was late July when the SDPC learned about the water and sewer infrastructure issues at both Daniel High School and RC Edwards Middle School.

PICKENS — Hank Haskell, a former resident of Pickens for more than 30 years and former president and treasurer of Brunswick Yarns, which was based in Pickens for four decades, has written a new book about the company.
Part memoir and part storytelling (yarns), “Brunswick Yarns: An American Family Business” traces how former New Englander Haskell married a southerner, Pat Peacock Haskell, and how they decided together to move Brunswick from Connecticut to the small town of Pickens.

COUNTY — The Pickens County Sheriff’s Office is warning local residents about a scam involving free airline tickets.
According to a release from Sheriff C. David Stone, the sheriff’s office has received multiple complaints from county residents who have received a letter in the mail telling them they have qualified for an award of two round-trip airline tickets from U.S. Airlines.
The letter continues with a sense of urgency, telling recipients “We have attempted contacting you several times without success. This is our last attempt.”

COUNTY — In 2010 in South Carolina, 34 women and 10 men lost their lives as a result of domestic violence. South Carolina is currently ranked seventh in the nation for the prevalence of deaths resulting from criminal domestic violence.