Vocabulary lesson
To the Editor:
It appears that the OE (may he rest in peace) taught you his vocabulary. I always thought the difference between a majority and a minority was determined by the number of people in the groups. The staff of the Marion County Record seems to think a minority is a group who disagrees with editorial opinion no matter their number.
Mayor Olson said nothing about terminating the city administrator in her campaign. That means if it was an intention, it was a hidden agenda. What she did promise was to get more involved, have regular office hours to be more available to the patrons, and learn as much as she could to help our city. She demonstrated exactly that this week. We are fortunate to have such a courageous woman at the head of our city government. She took the information and complaints, checked them out, listened to ALL the public, and made an informed decision. That action probably cost her some friends.
Walking out of the same meeting as Susan Cooper and hanging around for awhile, I saw only one person shedding tears and a great number of people with relief on their faces. As far as people losing faith in the community, that would have happened if the small group of negative people (majority by MCR vocab rules) had managed to oust a city official for their personal reasons. What faith could we have in a commission who would fire an employee with good performance evaluations and a record of safety and efficiency? Which taxpayers have been let down? "The dismantling of a community" — I thought responsible journalists were trained not to use blatant inflammatory statements. There was a large group of city employees at that meeting showing their support for the city administrator. I suppose that would be considered a minority of them.
I am so tired of the snipes at "the country club people." Membership is open to anyone who likes to golf and swim who is also willing to volunteer time to course and clubhouse improvement (paint brush or shovel) and take turns hosting social events. Stock is available to anyone for $100. This is not a Johnson County organization that requires a triple digit income and a monthly minimum expenditure. Except for a part-time employee and summer help, the club is run by volunteers. If you looked at a membership list, you would find the same names on most civic and volunteer organizations throughout the town and county. These are some of the people most involved in actively building this community. See Gene Winkler (one of the greatest volunteers ever!) for membership information.
For the person casting "shame" on all the councilmen and mayor, shame on you for not signing your name.
I hold you to your challenge to "start working together." I challenge you to start the positive by reporting facts without bias and writing encouraging editorials. Do something to jump-start the good will. I haven't seen your name or Susan's on too many volunteer lists, so do your work with your mighty pens. The Marion County Record is a driving force in this community. Make sure you have the gear shift set on D and not R.
Diana Costello
Marion
