Setting the record straight
In (last week’s) edition of The View, Ms. Pamela LeCompte writes she is appalled that Council Members Scheel, Pulley, and I made a “proposal” to have Mayor Gloria Whitehead resign. There has never been a proposal to request that Mayor Whitehead resign, at least not one in which I have participated. I was one of three Council Members who requested a Special Council Meeting to address the Mayor’s social media post as it relates to the City’s Social Media Policy, as well as to discuss the City’s Policy on Public Comments. During this meeting I read two statements on the items on the agenda. In my statement, I said: “I will not judge the content of the Mayor’s post as part of this discussion. I have provided a response when asked, and I believe it is well known I disagree with her post and its content. I have said this to the Mayor, and she has explained her reasoning. We still disagree.”
Ms. LeCompte is quite firm in her defense of the Mayor’s right to her opinion. Like her I believe in freedom of expression, but I also believe that when we exercise such right, we must accept the consequences of our words. As I told the Mayor in person, the timing of her post was very unfortunate. I cannot ignore the perception created by the post among many of our citizens. I have read every e-mail received by the City, in addition to those coming to my personal e-mail account, for and against the Mayor. There is passion on both sides of the issue, and it is my belief that we must listen to both sides and respect these opinions, rather than classify them as harassment when they are not in agreement with our own.
If there is drama, I have done nothing to create it. I continue to work with Mayor Whitehead and other members of Council for the benefit of our City and its residents. I have been asked for my opinion by citizens, media, and friends. In every instance, I have measured my answer, but I will not refuse to comment or otherwise withhold my opinion, to which I am entitled as an individual and as a Council Member.
Ms. LeCompte mentions Indivisible as well as my actions being to further my political agenda. I do not have a political agenda. I have held two public offices, School Board and City of Woodcreek, both of which are nonpartisan. In my personal life, am free to support the candidates who represent my values and beliefs, but as a Council Member in the City of Woodcreek, I withhold political discussion or comment and focus on serving those who reside in our City.
Ms. LeCompte states that Council Members Scheel, Pulley, and I are “unprofessional public officials” by “creating protestors,” meaning we had something to do with the protestors at the meeting in Camp Young Judaea or those who protested outside the Mayor’s home. I was completely unaware of the protest outside the Mayor’s home until I saw a photo on social media two days later, and I have no idea who organized it or participated. The same is true for the protestors at Camp Young Judaea. Some of those protesting at Camp Young Judaea are my neighbors in Woodcreek, and I did greet them upon leaving the meeting. At no time did I discuss the Mayor’s conduct, post, or the meeting with any of them either before or after the meeting.
Supporting equal treatment for all is not politics, and I have done so in my career and personal life. I am proud of the programs I managed that guaranteed equal treatment to employees and clients of my agency, and I am proud of my volunteer work with civil rights organizations. Believing in human rights and speaking up when those rights are ignored is not a political issue for me; it is an issue of values and commitment.