This week’s Sentinel is filled with letters expressing their outrage at Councilman Parker’s outburst and supporting the paper’s still open forum. One of the best letters, written by Jo Teel and Colleen Luckman, challenges Parker’s claim that he is doing his ‘duty’ –
It is not the “duty” of elected officials in any government to use a public meeting to vent their personal feelings, propose their own agendas, or initiate their own vendetta against any single person or business that is part of their constituency. It is not the “duty” of any elected official in any city government to attempt to censure any viable community voice, or influence the financial situation of any entity within their community.
Mr Parker’s values were his campaign fodder. The election has been decided, the seat has been won. Our city council memebers need to hear the voice of their constituents, whether it be in a meeting, a newspaper, or on the street. As elected officials, that is their “duty”. Their personal opinions and values should no longer be the priority. It is the community who elected them, and the community which they must serve.
Parker’s definition of values was not the only point of contention. Another letter from Eldon Rollins questions the councilman’s use of the term ‘out of towner’ and notes that Diane and Donell at the Sentinel are natives while –
Mr Parker, on the other hand, arrived here from Sacramento, which is world famous for its Colloquium on Coquille Values, and I’m sure Mr Parker immersed himself in all the available literature and picked the minds of the Sacramento Valley’s leading experts on the values of Cquille before moving here…
…I would like to think that treating recent arrivals to the area fairly is a Coquille Value.
In fact every so often for better or worse, we see fit to elect them to the City Council and sometimes we even make them our City Manager and our Police Chiief.
Touché all of you!
Next election round, Parker will be gone as well. We have to raise the bar for our elected officials. While people like flamelick and Parker are the minority, what makes Coquille look bad is that the majority condone or allow this conduct by remaining silent. The whole town looks bad because there are a handful of ill mannered people on the council who don’t care about their constituents.
Parker is a buffoon… but then look who he hangs with.
OOPS
My mistake….make that EX chief!
Reminds me of a classic movie…
Ding Dong the Chief is gone… … …
Interesting tidbit of information was told to me today.
Apparently Mr. Parker and Mr. Reaves were enjoying their usual tete a tete at Fraziers this morning when they both began maligning certain community members for their letter writing skills. Mr. Parker in particular, mentioned names loud enough for anyone interested in listening to understand.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I hold elected officials to a higher standard. I feel that they should not publicly denounce any community member because they happen to have written a letter that spoke only the truth.
And of course, in his childish, boorish manner, Mr. Parker released his tirade in the presence of one of the letter writers and her children. I wonder if he got red in the face when she approached their table and told them both that they were being childish and immature. Parker continued to malign her mother…and the chief just lost it.
Interesting to see how our community leaders, current and ex, view their positions and their constituency.
I remember an old saying…If you can’t take the heat, get the hell out of the kitchen.
We have commitments for almost half so far of a full page ad – progress is being made!
Okay – Full page $1,000 – 1/2 page – $500 approx
100 people at $10 bucks should be doable – we have almost 50 already
We need to have a ‘design’ meeting
Will do! Check back here later….
magix….I’m right behind you!
Can’t do it myself this week…but let’s find out what it would cost for the ad…1/2 or full page…
please post it here…thanks!!
Your idea about taking out an ad is a good one…. Citizens defend 1st Amendment (and trounce on despots);)
Perhaps we should all throw into the kitty and do it and announce our intention to boycott businesses withholding advertising dollars in an effort to silence our voices. I am up for it!
Thanks…and thanks Eldon…you made some great points with your letter.
Let’s just hope our community will understand that we aren’t all simply ‘malcontents’…but we are intelligent people with intelligent views and opinions.