Under normal circumstances I wouldn?’t post on this blog. I like to read it, enjoy the bantering, deplore the hate postings and dislike the fact that you can say anything short of libel anonymously, but I take the good with the bad. Something that is totally irking me of late is the attempt to malign people who are no longer in any sort of public service. Now I am the first to say that if you seek elected office or are in the employ of the local governments then you make the agreement when taking your oath that you will be the target of whatever barbs are thrown your way.
I wanted to get caught up on current events posted in this forum by going back through the postings to see where these issues like cooperation between the city and township and school levies had been brought up before. I recently had surgery and am recovering if you are asking yourself how I have the time or why I would take the time. Time is a luxury I have a lot of right now. I noticed that a former school board member took shots from posters long after he was out of office. He defended himself but it seemed that every defense only brought on a barrage of more attacks but he weathered the storm well.
I noticed more attacks on former councilmen than any other office it seemed. No one has escaped the personal attacks that have served as a councilman or mayor in this city. Folks, what?’s done is done and what?’s past is past. Once an elected official leaves office, why can we be a little more respectful in letting them have their privacy? They spent years living in a fishbowl with every action and spoken word put to scrutiny. Unless they continue to make a spectacle of themselves after leaving office, why would the attacks continue?
Regardless of their personal view on issues in the community, can?’t we agree that they seek these offices in the hopes of making the community a better place? We may not always agree with the things they say or the way they vote on issues, but nonetheless, they deserve a little respect for at least putting their name on the line and trying. Former administrations have been vilified for their actions. Now a newer, supposedly more community-friendly administration is in office and they too are being vilified for their actions.
We will never be satisfied with whoever is in elected office in this community. Folks, it?’s not the fault of the elected officials, it?’s our fault. We change the face of the school board and condemn the ones we elected. We change the face of the city government and we condemn the ones we elected. Could the problem be us and not them?
This gets me back to the attacks of former elected officials. The reason they are not still in office whether it be through a decision to not seek office again, resignation or losing an election, doesn?’t matter. They are no longer in office and if they are not still publicly involved in governing matters, let?’s leave them alone. My spouse served on the township council in the community we lived in before moving here a decade ago. I can tell you that the time they put in, in most cases, is not just the 2 or 3 meetings a month. They put in a lot more hours. Through my limited volunteerism in the community, I have met some of these former officials and they are, by and large, good people. Let?’s leave them be and not continue to blast them here and make false accusations about them still trying to run the city or township or anything else.
Let?’s stick to debating issues.
Respectfully,
KT Smith
(No relation to the councilman)
By KT Smith
