Based on much of what I’ve read so far, I appreciate new Wylliesburg/Red Oak Supervisor Kay Pierantoni. I may not agree with her on every point, but I like how she is working hard right out of the gate to be a voice for her constituents and to create transparency.

The introduction of a fresh perspective and fresh energy to a board from time to time undoubtedly aids the effectiveness of its continued operation.

Among other issues, Pierantoni has been forthrightly making her case that the Charlotte County Board of Supervisors should change its monthly meeting time from 1:30 p.m. to a time at which working folks could attend. She made a motion at the organizational meeting Jan. 3 to hold the monthly meetings at 7 p.m. The motion did not pass.

Here at Farmville Newsmedia, we cover the board of supervisors’ meetings for Buckingham County, Cumberland County, Prince Edward County and Lunenburg County in addition to Charlotte County. Every board except for Charlotte County’s meets at either 6 or 7 p.m.

The deliberations and decisions of a board are of the utmost importance to the people of its county, and making it relatively easy for people to attend and participate seems like a best practice to me.

One area where I would differ from Pierantoni a little, though, would be her approach to the operation of the board in terms of continuity of agreements.

When it came to the rotation system for determining who chairs the board, she seemed to be in favor of dispensing with it, noting that while she understood it, each year is new, and the officials are responsible to the citizens to start freshly.

“To say that this has been set up, it was set up by a previous board, and this board starts anew today and should start anew with a clean slate and clean mind,” said Pierantoni. “Agreements that have been in the past should be null and void as we go forward.”

I can see how this approach makes sense to Pierantoni, as she is new to the board and represents change. I wouldn’t want to be beholden to past arrangements I had nothing to do with either. But for those who are veteran supervisors that have a record of agreements made, I think it also makes sense that they would not want to suddenly declare all of those agreements null and void, potentially leaving community members guessing as to what they might do next.

As with every group, it will probably take some time for this latest iteration of Charlotte County’s board to gel.

But overall, I do appreciate Pierantoni’s mindset. In her letter to the editor in last week’s Gazette, she demonstrated good awareness of how some people might be perceiving her, and she addressed it.

“Am I going into my role as supervisor unwilling to work with my fellow board members?” she wrote. “No. I spoke with each supervisor before the organizational meeting. I told them this is not personal, and I am not trying to just make a lot of noise. What I am going to do is live up to my promises. I will be a voice for the people of Charlotte County. I will stand up for what I believe is in their best interests. Most importantly, I will bring about transparency as to all business of this county.”

Titus Mohler is the sports editor for The Charlotte Gazette and Farmville Newsmedia LLC. His email address is Titus.Mohler@The CharlotteGazette.com