[Vision2020] Water and Sewer Agreements: second reply fromWalter Steed

[Garrett Clevenger]

Perhaps I could have handled this sending of our
councilman's email to  v2020 differently, but I think
it's funny that that aspect has created so much
conversation, rather than the fact that our council
people, for the most part, don't answer our emails at
all.

I appreciate that Walter Steed had the respect to
reply to this important topic.  He is the only one. 
It's the other council members who support the Greater
Moscow Giveaway, and then ignore our questions, who
trouble me.

The fact is, if we are unable to share with each other
their responses, how would we ever hold them
accountable?  What would prevent them from sending
people different answer, taylored to what they think
the recipient wants to hear?

If council people are uncomfortable responding to
their constituents, then they shouldn't be serving as
elected officials.  Part of their job is to
communicate with us about issues we care about.  Their
lack of response leads me to believe they have no
reasonable defense for their actions.

Those who do respond should be able to stand behind
their replies, and not feel hesitant to have their
responses made public.

If Walter is mad at me for making public his reply,
that is up to him.  Perhaps he'll never reply to me
again.  All that would do is make me lose respect for
him for desiring to maintain some sort of
confidentiallity with a constituent who in the end is
just trying to figure what they are doing, why they
are doing it and to encourage dialog amongst us all so
that we can come to a reasonable understanding.

Sincerely,

Garrett
--- Warren Hayman <whayman at roadrunner.com> wrote:

> I believe that simple prior clearance or even notice
> with Mr. Steed (indicating the intent of subsequent
> public posting etc) would have eradicated all
> problems one way or the other.
> 
> Warren Hayman
> 
>   ----- Original Message ----- 
>   From: Ted Moffett 
>   To: Chasuk 
>   Cc: Vision 2020 ; Garrett Clevenger 
>   Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2008 5:56 PM
>   Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Water and Sewer
> Agreements: second reply fromWalter Steed
> 
> 
>   On Feb 12, 2008 5:27 PM, Chasuk <chasuk at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> 
>     On Feb 12, 2008 5:20 PM, Ted Moffett
> <starbliss at gmail.com> wrote:
>     \
>     > This indicates clearly that Mr. Steed knew
> Garrett might post his response
>     > to the list, and asked him not to.  But I
> disagree with Mr. Steeds decision,
>     > and the obvious avoidance of Vision2020 by
> many public officials, to refuse
>     > to engage in dialog on Vision2020.
> 
> 
>     I took it to mean that he knew that Garrett was
> posting his emails to
>     Vision2020, and wished for Garrett to make clear
> that  this
>     second-hand participation was not an invitation
> to contact him
>     directly.  Garrett complied by publishing that
> excerpt.
> 
> 
> 
>   I understand this interpretation.  
> 
>   But if Mr. Steed is open to all e-mails from
> private individuals, as he wrote below,
> 
>   "I try to respond promptly at all e-mails sent
> directly to me by individuals,,,"
> 
>   this might contradict the statement he does not
> want Garrett to "incite Vision2020 to start sending
> everything to me..." as he also wrote.
> 
>   So is Mr. Steed open to anyone subscribed to
> Vision2020 contacting him privately?  Or was he
> saying he did not want a flood of private e-mails
> from Vision2020 subscribers?
> 
>   For Garrett to post his responses to the list
> certainly might invite many private and/or public
> responses, no matter who wishes what.
> 
>   Ted Moffett
> 
> 
>
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> 
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