I had an interesting note recently from a reader about my column last week urging a real recount in the Ashland district supervisor’s race.
I said the recount that made George W. Bush president took place in 1991.
Gee, I was only off by nine years!
Well, numbers, dates and math were never my strong points, and whenever possible I opt to omit dates when referring to an event that is part of the general public’s memory.
Ironically enough, it was the same issue in which we chided two county departments for mistakes in jury notification for an important trial.
Then we compounded our fallibility by not printing the winners of the Mechanicsville Christmas Parade in the same issue and leaving out some “Santa runs.”
Pot calling the kettle black is the way we look now.
Years ago I would have agonized for days about how I could be so dumb, but besides becoming more forgetful as I age, I’ve also learned a few things.
So when I can remember, I remind myself that everyone makes mistakes, and mistakes of omission are among the most common.
It is of course our desire to get things right as we endeavor to inform the public about goings on in Mechanicsville, Hanover County and the surrounding region.
We receive hundreds of tidbits of information weekly through letters, emails, personal visits and phone calls. Story ideas, calendar items, requests for coverage, reprints, copies of photos, requests for general information about things Hanoverian.
We do our best to respond and take the job seriously of sifting through all the information and passing on as much as we can.
Still, we fall short occasionally.
For now, we’ll see what we can do to make things more efficient and accurate, and strive to get the important stuff in the paper correctly reported and on time.
We consider ourselves an integral member of the Mechanicsville and Hanover community, and we don’t mind at all readers calling attention to our failings when they occur.
Suggestions on ways to improve are always welcome.
