You're probably going to be surprised by my post -- I am.
Two good things happened at the council meeting last night. First, Mayor Weber moved beyond the posted closed agenda and allowed citizens to speak. This simple but meaningful gesture shows respect for good citizens willing to take the time to be involved in our city. Interestingly, a reciprocal benefit of showing respect is that it is often returned by those of good intention. A small act, but key none the less.
More importantly, the council returned from closed session with a plan to resolve the OB allegations. Please don't be misled -- I still believe the city should never have reached the point of acting on MOB's wild accusations without him providing concrete proof. This will be an expensive lesson the city did not need to learn, one citizens did not need to pay for. I'm not just talking about money -- the price paid includes lost time, hurt feelings, lost trust. I also believe a couple of the new council members, who have yet to acknowledge their shared responsibility of pushing the city into this position, will have to answer for their actions before it's all over. But last night, the council as a whole moved forward. The surprising part? The first public acknowledgement by the unified council on this matter . Here is a part of their prepared statement:
"The multitude of various allegations raised against the City Manager/Police Chief led to an internal City review which found no basis for any of the matters as alleged."
Even as they move forward with a legal review, the council, both old and new members, now acknowledge as one the allegations have no foundation. Translation--- all members now believe MOB's allegations are based on lies.
So now let me return with surprises of my own. First, thank you city council. Thank you for recognizing the truth, thank you for having the courage to acknowledge it out loud. Secondly, let me tell the council you were wrongly portrayed by the newspaper article headline this morning.
Last night I witnessed coverage of the meeting by Eli Ross and Channel 10. His reporting was even handed, accurately revealing the statements made by Mayor Weber. Channel 10 truly seems sincere in getting all sides of a story and avoids unfounded commentary and distortion of facts. Thank you Channel 10 for due diligence. To Channel 25, I'm sorry I did not see your story. I really need to learn to work the DVR. Thank you for taking an interest in Woodway.
Then this morning I read the front page article by Erin Quinn.
The article headline gave a different impression compared to what actually happened. Erin once again seemed to show MOB some credibility. Hey sizzle, conflict, scandal-- I get it. It sells. But accuracy is important if you want to be considered a top tier news source. Food for thought. I do sincerely thank the Waco Trib for considering Woodway an important part of the greater McLennan County community.
Anyway, thank you council for moving forward. And thank you again for acknowledging truth.
Back on track next post.
