Oct 14, 2025 | Clayton Stories
Since 2015, I’ve been photographing and sharing Clayton’s small businesses — not just to show off my photos, but to help people discover them and make sure the places that open here can actually stay open. Every month since I moved downtown, I’ve added new photos to...
Oct 9, 2025 | Campaign Updates
As a Clayton native, downtown resident, small business owner, and mom, I’m deeply invested in the future of this town, not just as a place to live, but as a community that should work for everyone. The Chamber’s questions reflect many of the issues residents talk to...
Oct 3, 2025 | Dollars & Sense: Clayton
On September 2nd, I went to the Town Council meeting. During his “Attorney’s Report,” the Town’s lawyer stood up, named me personally, and told the entire room about my copyright claim — complete with dollar amounts and his own spin on it. That report didn’t come...
Sep 26, 2025 | Clayton Stories
Imagine losing your children because the Town “lost” your $250 deposit. My new neighbor called me this week, upset because the Town told her they had no record of her $250 utility deposit. She had paid it in person, yet she was threatened with having her power shut...
Sep 25, 2025 | Clayton Stories
Some of the very first photos I ever took were at Clayton Elementary. The school had been condemned twice by the time I was there in the early 90s. Ceilings leaked, walls crumbled, textbooks were moldy, asbestos was being removed while kids sat in classrooms. I even...
Sep 18, 2025 | Dollars & Sense: Clayton
Lately I’ve heard a lot of talk about “unity.” I want that too. But unity doesn’t mean silence, and pointing out problems isn’t what divides a community. Ignoring them is. The problem isn’t one glaring hotel bill or a stack of Amazon receipts. The real problem is...
Sep 15, 2025 | Dollars & Sense: Clayton
I’ve been designing and printing things since high school (as a senior project, my very first brochure was for Hogwarts, complete with specialty paper). Since then, I’ve overseen thousands of print jobs for campaigns, businesses, and nonprofits. I know how much paper,...
Sep 4, 2025 | Dollars & Sense: Clayton
The Clue In 2022, I licensed photos to the Town of Clayton for web use only. Simple, right? But in Clayton, “web use” somehow meant brochures, banners, glossy plans, utility bills, videos, and social media, all at full resolution, and all without credit. The...
Aug 27, 2025 | Dollars & Sense: Clayton
The Discovery They logged $273,714.92 in receipts under “Amazon.” That alone raises eyebrows. No details, no categories, just the word Amazon. But when I dug through more than 15,000 shadow transactions, I found the real tab: $564,889.17. That’s over half a million...
Aug 19, 2025 | Dollars & Sense: Clayton
Disney World. Harrah’s Casino. Pinehurst Resort. Las Vegas. Beaufort waterfront. Sounds like someone’s vacation itinerary, right? Nope. These are charges on your dime, straight from Clayton’s hotel bills. Over the past three years, Clayton has racked up nearly...
