A report and subheadline in the March 31 issue of The Caroline Progress about redistricting for Caroline County are in error.
The report contained information about a redistricting committee’s recommendation to the Board of Supervisors. The panel recommended the county stay with the current format of five voting districts.
The newspaper’s account mistakenly reported that the committee’s proposal for new district lines put supervisors Floyd Thomas and Jeff Sili both in the Bowling Green District. That is not the case. The recommendation leaves Thomas in the Mattaponi District and Sili in the Bowling Green District.
Tim Cox, editor of the newspaper, apologized for the error and offered an explanation. “It’s unfortunate,” he said in a written statement. “I want to offer my apology to Mr. Thomas and Mr. Sili and any other county officials who may have been inconvenienced, as well as to the members of the redistricting committee.”
Cox said he took a quick look at a digital map of the committee’s recommended districts. The map also depicted the location of member of the Board of Supervisors and the School Board. At a quick glance, it appeared that Thomas and Sili were included in one district. Both men reside in Bowling Green.
“Regretfully, I jumped to the wrong conclusion,” said Cox. The newspaper was alerted to the error. It quickly notified Thomas and Sili and other county officials and corrected the account on the newspaper’s website. It also plans a full correction in next week’s edition.