A Moment to Recollect
Sunday, May 3, 2009
While no one can argue that the city council has not quite been up to par recently, I think it's important to remember the years of exquisite service they have delivered up to now. For almost a decade Deana Stranz has graced us with her presence on the council and Robbie, Sarah, Jon, and Tedra all have long and fantastic reputations on the council as well.
I understand that personal life should be separate as from city council work as possible, but no one can argue that the two are ever completely unrelated. And lately, this city council has hit the bermuda triangle of personal lives!
Deana's mother-in-law has been battling cancer for three years now and I'm sorry to say that she has recently taken a turn for the worse. The mayor and her family have been keeping close vigil at the nursing home where she has been living.
Tedra is dealing with a huge amount of stress as she is up for tenure at Camelot University. She certainly deserves it and will probably get it, but it still comes with a lot of work.
Robbie and his family recently dealt with a break in. Their front window was broken out before the robbers made off with electronics and family jewelry. The personal belongings were covered by insurance but the family has been visibly shaken. They have been staying with his parents for two weeks now.
Jon is, unfortunately, going though a very public and messy divorce. He and his wife have recently split and she seems to be dragging it out for as long as possible.
Sarah, unlike the others, has joyful news! Although still stressful. She and her husband are expecting their third child! She has been spending all her free time running after her other children and visiting her doctor.
It is crucial that at a time like this we look at the long and outstanding histories of these council members before we make any rash decisions.
4 comments:
I agree. Often times we see these five people as enemies just because they may not agree on an issue that we do. Citizens have to remember that they cannot please everybody. They are doing their job to the best of their ability.
Nate Felver, President, Police Benevolent Association
Long and outstanding histories as a basis for elected status make for dictatorships, not democracies. While I commend these individuals for their service to Camelot, I think the time has come to bring new voices to the Council who will serve as leaders. First, as touching as these personal stories are, what concerns me as a member of the electorate is the performance of these officials in the public sphere. Councilmember Dravet may be going through a messy divorce...but if that doesn't affect his public service, I have no need to know about it. This comment is repeatable for every Councilmember.
Secondly, now that we're talking about the Council's public presence, I find much to be desired in some (BUT not all) of the members. I will vote for a Councilmember who weighs the issues, considers community input, seeks resolution and compromise. Councilor Tague exemplifies these skills: she continually brings in new viewpoints, helps to summarize the discussion and move it forward, and weighs all perspectives against her personal beliefs. OTHER Councilors speak only for themselves or their constituencies, or worse hardly speak up. For this reason, I feel certain members of the Council, regardless of their personal lives, ought to be recalled.
Thank you.
Colleen Hamilton, Planning Commission
Let's be honest, us citizens have not mad the job of the city council any easier lately. We have been fighting amongst ourselves and making issues of nothing. We should try to cut them some slack.
Eddie Shei
Business owner
It is tought for the city council to come to an agreement when we the community struggle to agree.They try to please everyone but they honestly can't. It's tough when council members only care about themselves and not the community.
thanks\
John Smolinski
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