To the editor:
This is a brief note to correct Henry Bright’s assertions about my actions on land use planning.
Regarding Mr. Bright’s assertion that I voted to apply Multiple Use (MU) zoning to a large part of Polk County:  Not so.
MU zoning was adopted in Polk County nearly a decade before I became a commissioner. I never voted for it.
Regarding Mr. Bright’s assertion that I voted in favor of allowing 8,000-square-foot buildings as part of home occupation expansion:  Not so.
While I was in favor of expanding the opportunities for home occupations, when the proposal for 8,000-square-foot buildings as part of that came before the UDO committee, I spoke against it and voted against it.
When I made a significant proposal to address Mr. Bright’s and the Saluda mayor’s concerns to allow more commercial development in the zoned Mountain and Ridgeline Protection areas, I asked the planning department staff to circulate it to the entire UDO group, as well as to all other interested Saluda citizens for whom they had email or mail addresses, well before the meeting at which it would be considered.
I wish Mr. Bright had done the same.
– Renée McDermott, Tryon