Honestly the hardest thing to do here is going to be to figure out a smooth transition from one thought to another. But anyone who knows me, knows that’s just how it goes with me. So here goes.... I wasn’t surprised.
Not one little, tiny bit. In fact, I was FULLY expecting to see a retort of some kind from the council after Shelley Napier came out here to meet with the people of our communities. Really, I expected it a bit sooner but public relations and spin does take a while. I knew that they’d have to try and discredit her. And me. And this paper. Sadly, over the past three years, that’s what I’ve come to expect of this council. It would have been so much easier - so much more graceful to just admit your mistakes, fix them and move on. But no. Please remember, no one asked Mrs. Napier to come here. Or paid her. She was here on her own accord, because, I feel - no, actually I KNOW - that she feels that the people of the communities within this municipality should treated with more respect by their mayor and councilors and the administration who is supposed to be under their control. And, as she said - in that huge long article - which was more of a transcription of her words that anything else - this was something that she had to say.
That, quite possibly she’d been too nice (anyone who had shown up at that meeting would have seen that - councilors included - only Estha Baseley was there). That her staff was angry. That they wanted her to sue this municipality but that’s not how she works. Which makes sense. For decades she’s been working for the people of municipalities across the country. She’s in the business of making their lives easier and safer. So she had nothing to gain from taking time out of her very busy schedule to come here and talk to us - nor does she now have anything to gain. Aside from the truth, as she said, she has no dog in this fight.. Not then, not now. Nothing but honesty and, I think, to put a bit of closure to this now increasingly ridiculous chapter of our lives. You can see read about that in her Letter to the Editor that starts on page 3 (not the usual space - but our pages are a little full this week so there’s been plenty of shifting around.) So..... back to this ‘letter thing’ from council. I was expecting it for a bunch of reasons. First, as you know, way back in.... July, it think it was - the council started talking about suing the town newspaper. I can’t go back and look because the last time I checked, sets of council minutes are missing off the website.
Read the full editorial in this week's Russell Banner!
