[Vision2020] re: conflict of interest

[Carl Westberg]

Melynda, in her usual thoughtful manner, lays out the legitimate concerns of 
many of us.  I'd like to focus on one.  As she writes: " In his capacity as 
President for the Chamber, he made staff hiring
decisions which systematically favored members of his own church."  I can 
honestly say that it would make no difference to me if he belonged to and 
hired only members of the Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran, Unitarian, 
or the Church of What's Happening Now faith.  If true, it would still be 
wrong.                                                                       
                                                                             
                                                                             
                                                       Carl Westberg Jr.


>From: "Melynda Huskey" <mghuskey at msn.com>
>To: vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: RE: [Vision2020] re: conflict of interest
>Date: Fri, 06 Aug 2004 08:59:01 -0700
>
>Darrell raises some points that I'm sure others are wondering about, too.  
>He writes:
>
>>1.      I find it disturbing that a man is being raked through the mud 
>>simply because he is a member of a church that has a pastor with some odd 
>>views . . . Paul is being castigated for being a member of Christ Church 
>>and, undeniably, making one bad decision in not removing himself from a 
>>Commissioner vote. Does knowing Paul Kimmell attends Christ Church allow 
>>us to accurately infer everything else about him?
>
>One difficulty about this medium--Vision 2020 in particular and email in 
>general--is that it invites polarization, and each pole is defined by the 
>most extreme or "spirited" position taken.  Although I, for one, have grave 
>concerns about the possible conflicts of interest, I don't have them 
>because of Paul Kimmell's membership in a particular church.  I'm looking 
>at patterns of behavior:
>
>Paul Kimmell is described in church meeting minutes--to which he had access 
>and to which he could have asked for revisions--as willing to accept 
>oversight by the church's elders on some issues (unspecified).
>
>Paul served as a land agent for the church.
>
>In his capacity as President for the Chamber, he made staff hiring 
>decisions which systematically favored members of his own church.
>
>Church email was used to promote his election.
>
>He did not recuse himself from a vote on the tax exempt status of 
>businesses related to his church.  At the hearing on that status, 
>inaccurate information was presented to justify the request.
>
>Those behaviors would cause me concern no matter what church Paul attended. 
>  It's quite true that he was found not guilty of a violation of the 
>conflict of interest statutes for his vote on the tax exemption.  He's 
>absolutely innocent of breaking the law in this matter.  But for me, at any 
>rate, there are ethical questions beyond the legal dimension.  Has Paul 
>served Latah County well while blending these roles?  On what issues, 
>exactly, might Christ Church elders have been given oversight on Paul's 
>decisions or positions, and what were the consequences of that oversight?  
>Has Paul served the Chamber and Moscow businesses evenhandedly?  Was he 
>aware that the information presented to the Board of Equalization was 
>inaccurate?
>
>I'll probably never know the answers to those questions.  But they remain 
>important questions for me.
>
>I also recognize that it's very hard to ask these questions without being 
>perceived as mean or maybe driven by a vendetta. Ours is a small town, 
>where we see each other all the time, in all kinds of places.  Unlike 
>Seattle, say, or Columbus, Ohio, when I say something critical of a 
>governmental official, I do so knowing that I'm likely to see him tomorrow 
>in Rosauers or McCoy's or the Needle Nook or the Red Door.  That makes it 
>just a little harder to speak up.
>
>Constant readers know I've never made any secret of my distaste for 
>Kimmell's pastor and his views--just as Doug Wilson has been pretty open 
>about his disdain for me and mine.  But there is a middle ground possible, 
>where serious questions are not necessarily personal attacks, and where 
>public officials can be held to high standards without personal animosity 
>on either side.
>
>Melynda Huskey
>
>
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>                              mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
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