Leaders in the town of Windsor had multiple options.

They could have moved aimlessly after the retirement of long-time Mayor Bob Spivey. It could have been a time when leadership was hard to come by and when things didn’t get done.

Mayor Spivey was a driving force not only in the town, but the region. He moves quickly, acts decisively and provided strong leadership for nearly two decades before his retirement in December.

The good thing for the citizens of Windsor is that new Mayor Jimmy Hoggard and the five commissioners – Hoyt Cooper, Bob Brown, Collins Cooper, David Overton and Joe Alexander – have chosen the other option. They have hit the ground running.

Thursday’s meeting of that group was a refreshing change from many board meetings. The commissioners were on top of the departments they are in charge of overseeing. There were reports, decisions and recommendations.

That’s the way towns are suppose to work – the elected officials jumping in and working to make sure the jobs get done. Windsor, like many other towns in the region – cannot afford all of the manpower necessary to do everything it does for its citizens. That makes it even more vital that the elected officials know what is going on.

In his first meeting as the town’s top elected official, Mayor Hoggard not only handed out a list of assignments to commissioners, he also handed out a list of things he wanted them to work toward achieving. To a man, the commissioners worked on those lists.

Mayor Pro-Tempore Hoyt Cooper was ready with a recommendation to proceed with hiring an architect to look at the current town hall building. Already he is working with Mayor Hoggard and Town Administrator Allen Castelloe to find grants to fund the project.

Commissioner Collins Cooper is moving forward with planning for the upgrading of both cemeteries in town. In the near future, the Cemetery Committee will be meeting and making recommendations to the town board about how to proceed.

Commissioner Overton has already put together a symposium that will take place January 28 to provide citizens with ways to make homes more energy efficient and lower the electric bills.

Commissioner Brown has begun the process of investigating all town finances to make sure money is invested wisely and that the town is getting the most for the money it has.

Commissioner Alexander is working to compile a list of streets which need to be repaired and prioritizing them so Windsor can move forward in repairing and upgrading their roads.

There were many, many other examples of how Windsor’s elected officials are working quickly and diligently for the citizens who elected them. While the town certainly isn’t the only place that happens, it makes for good government and provides for better service for all the town citizens.

I applaud the work of the Windsor Board of Commissioners and new Mayor Jimmy Hoggard. Keep up the good work.

Thadd White is Staff Writer and Sports Editor of the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald. He can be reached via email at thadd.white@r-cnews.com or by telephone at 332-7211.