Let me start off by saying that I debated long and hard whether or not to write this particular column because it involves my pride as well as my judgment.

Communities do not quietly move past situations involving children, trauma, and unanswered questions simply because official statements were issued months earlier. People remember how leadership responds when it matters most. Years from now, long after meetings end and officials move on, those signatures will still exist as part of Beaufort’s history. And one day, that little girl may read them…