At the January City Council meeting, a small group of neighbors complained that they didn?’t like the way the police department was functioning. Accusations were made based on incomplete and inaccurate information. The disagreement flared into accusation and hostile disrespect. City Council members were accused of ?“dereliction of duty?” and ?“malfeasance.?” But local residents who do not agree with City Council?’s decisions do not need to resort to violence.
At 11:00 p.m., when the meeting was over, Council Member Leo Gadlage (who has worked with the Graymoor-Devondale police department for the past six years) went to the parking lot and discovered that his car had been vandalized. Four tires had been slashed beyond repair. A tow-truck had to be called. He got home at 1:30 a.m. The next morning he had to pay $500 out of his pocket to replace those tires.
As a result, Leo Gadlage decided to resign from the City Council.
What happened to Leo Gadlage was despicable. Anyone who knows Leo and who has worked with him fully understands how dedicated he has been to this community. He has spent untold hours in developing one of the best small city police forces in the area. Because of his commitment to public safety, we have a better equipped and better paid police force to serve the residents.
Community policing is important for the quality of our neighborhood life. We want our officers to conduct vacation watches while we are out of town. We want our police to enforce Graymoor-Devondale ordinances. We want their personal attention for elderly and sick residents. We want their support in chasing down criminals and making our neighborhoods one of the safest in the entire Metro area.
I am sorry to see Leo Gadlage resign; and I understand why he made this decision. No one should be forced to accept abuse and violence when he or she offers to work for no pay on behalf of the residents of this city. I admire Leo?’s dedication and hard work during the past 10 years. I am grateful for all that he has contributed. I will miss his involvement with the city council. And I do not disagree with his decision one bit.
When people resort to intimidation and violence against you, it is prudent to protect your self, your family, and your property.
The mayor and six city council members work as volunteers for this community. We do not receive any salary or other compensation. We do this work out of a sense of dedication to the community ?–-of wanting to make things a bit better for our neighbors.
Those of us who are public officials in Graymoor-Devondale are trying to do our best for our neighbors. We may not always make perfect decisions. And when our neighbors disagree with our decisions, we hope they present their comments, ideas, criticisms, and suggestions with civility ?… and not with abuse or violence.
This is Graymoor-Devondale ... not Iraq.
At 11:00 p.m., when the meeting was over, Council Member Leo Gadlage (who has worked with the Graymoor-Devondale police department for the past six years) went to the parking lot and discovered that his car had been vandalized. Four tires had been slashed beyond repair. A tow-truck had to be called. He got home at 1:30 a.m. The next morning he had to pay $500 out of his pocket to replace those tires.
As a result, Leo Gadlage decided to resign from the City Council.
What happened to Leo Gadlage was despicable. Anyone who knows Leo and who has worked with him fully understands how dedicated he has been to this community. He has spent untold hours in developing one of the best small city police forces in the area. Because of his commitment to public safety, we have a better equipped and better paid police force to serve the residents.
Community policing is important for the quality of our neighborhood life. We want our officers to conduct vacation watches while we are out of town. We want our police to enforce Graymoor-Devondale ordinances. We want their personal attention for elderly and sick residents. We want their support in chasing down criminals and making our neighborhoods one of the safest in the entire Metro area.
I am sorry to see Leo Gadlage resign; and I understand why he made this decision. No one should be forced to accept abuse and violence when he or she offers to work for no pay on behalf of the residents of this city. I admire Leo?’s dedication and hard work during the past 10 years. I am grateful for all that he has contributed. I will miss his involvement with the city council. And I do not disagree with his decision one bit.
When people resort to intimidation and violence against you, it is prudent to protect your self, your family, and your property.
The mayor and six city council members work as volunteers for this community. We do not receive any salary or other compensation. We do this work out of a sense of dedication to the community ?–-of wanting to make things a bit better for our neighbors.
Those of us who are public officials in Graymoor-Devondale are trying to do our best for our neighbors. We may not always make perfect decisions. And when our neighbors disagree with our decisions, we hope they present their comments, ideas, criticisms, and suggestions with civility ?… and not with abuse or violence.
This is Graymoor-Devondale ... not Iraq.
