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Call Publishing, Thursday, February 20, 2014 - Page 4A

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By Mike Anthony

Lindbergh bond refundingstuns with savings amount

Wow — just wow.That’s our reaction to the amount of

money Lindbergh Schools is saving district taxpayers with its latest bond refunding.

Even the district’s longtime inde-pendent financial adviser, Joy How-ard of WM Financial Strategies, was a bit taken aback by the savings.

“... This is like phenomenal. I’m always happy when I can deliver bet-ter savings than I expected, but for me, I would have been happy to say, ‘Oh, it’s $100,000 better.’ This is just kind of shocking ...,” she told the Board of Education last week.

In December, the board put the wheels in motion for the bond refund-ing, which, at that time, was estimat-ed to save district taxpayers roughly $1.67 million. The district planned to sell roughly $32.65 million in bonds to refund bonds issued in 2007 as part of Lindbergh’s Proposition R 2006 bond issue.

The Feb. 11 sale generated 14 bids for the Aa1 bonds.

That night, the Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt a resolu-tion approving the sale of the bonds to Robert W. Baird & Co. Inc. of Milwaukee, Wis. Robert W. Baird & Co.’s true interest cost — a combined measure of the interest and under-writing fees — of 2.741089 percent was the lowest of 14 bids submitted.

The savings to district taxpayers totals $3,503,832 — more than $1.8 million over the original estimate of $1.67 million. The district’s taxpay-ers are the sole beneficiaries of the savings because the $3.5 million will not be collected from them, and the district’s debt-service tax rate is set to collect only the revenue necessary to retire the bonds.

Chief Financial Officer Charles Triplett noted that last week’s bond refunding is the eighth the district has done since 1998, saving taxpayers a total of $8,819,568.

Of those eight refundings, Triplett said, “... We’ve refunded almost $87 million of principal ...We have saved taxpayers more than $8.8 million in interest off of this. That’s more than a 10-percent savings from the principal on the bonds that were issued. Again, we’re happy to do that anytime we possibly can and get the best value for the taxpayers ...”

And last week’s bond refunding savings is on top of the $32 mil-lion the district saved taxpayers from 1995 to 2005 by voluntarily rolling back the district’s tax rate. That’s a combined savings to district taxpay-ers of roughly $40.8 million.

Like we said: Wow — just wow.

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Reader skeptical new school Lindbergh’s ‘only logical solution’

Executive Editor: Mike Anthony — [email protected]

To the editor:The Call recently reported — again — that Lindbergh Schools’

“only logical solution” is a new school on the Dressel property.And in a companion article of the same issue was information

regarding a proposed $34 million bond issue to pay for it, along with the increased amounts in taxes to homeowners for the bond issue.

I applaud the school board for being proactive on a possible increase in future student enrollment, but have all possibilities really been examined?

We keep hearing from the chief financial officer, Charles Trip-lett, how property values are down in the district and school fund-ing is reduced, but, my tax assessor must not have got that memo.

Despite what we keep hearing reported, the fact is taxes have been increasing every year and the grip is tightening around the Golden Goose’s neck.

Besides Dressel School, which the district finds unacceptable,

there are currently two other school buildings sitting unused in the Lindbergh Schools area.

Seven Holy Founders and St. Elizabeth of Hungary both have schools that are no longer being used. I have never heard any proposals that would consider utilizing either of these facilities as an interim plan to see if a new school will actually, in fact, be required in the future to accommodate increased enrollment.

This would seem to be a win-win all around. The schools are class ready, a huge tax increase could be averted and the school property owners could realize income from the leasing of the cur-rently unused schools.

I’m sure the school board and planning committees are spending many diligent hours seeking solutions, but it seems they may have all jointly acquired tunnel vision focusing only on a new school and a tax increase.

Ken HouseSappington

To the editor:I favor a split of south county from St.

Louis County.The main reason for my support is that it

will not add government.Unlike incorporation, a new county will

not add a local government. I agree with the several comments that another layer of government is undesirable.

Recent foolishness in some local city governments confirms my opposition to this additional layer.

A new county will free south county of interference from Clayton. We won’t have

to keep opposing bizarre notions that only affect us.

South county would not be subject to St. Louis County’s infatuation with subsidiz-ing Metro for the city. We would not be forced into trash districts that don’t affect anybody but the unincorporated areas in north and south county.

We could prevent whatever allowed the unpopular development on Telegraph Road. We could make our own decisions regarding cooperation with surrounding jurisdictions — city/county merger.

We could do all of this with no additional

government. We also would benefit in a way that is near and dear to my heart. We would not have to drive to Clayton for anything.

Less government is better government.A county split is far better than incorpo-

ration. The only other choice is to continue

bowing to the whims of Clayton.Robert W. Haul

OakvilleEditor’s note: Mr. Haul serves as presi-

dent of the Oakville Township Republican Club.

Oakville resident favors split of south county from St. Louis County

Oakville Middle, Oakville High students ‘got talent,’ judge writesTo the editor:On Feb. 15, it was my privilege to be one of four judges at the

first “Oakville’s Got Talent” competition at the Mehlville School District’s new William B. Nottelmann Auditorium.

As a judge, I was seated on stage close by the performances, so I had a bird’s-eye view, and let me tell you what — these stu-dents from Oakville Middle School and Oakville High School are incredibly talented, indeed.

Personally, I would have liked to have given them all first place for their hard work, for their performances and for their grit to get out there and put themselves in front of a crowd and be judged.

These students are achievers and dreamers, and they are to be commended.

The Mehlville School District is also to be commended for its support of these students as they branch out into the arts, along with the dance and musical instructors who live in our community and are a vital supporting arm of the community’s schools and talent.

And I would be remiss if I did not mention another star in the district’s crown, the new Nottelmann Auditorium. It is a lovely, well-equipped venue in which to show off our local talent.

If you weren’t there, you missed it. But stay tuned, you’ll have another opportunity.

Because let me say it again — “Oakville’s Got Talent.”Mary Hughes

Oakville

Three-decade Oakville citizen says new county ‘not the way to go’To the editor:The steering committee — Republican

Party — wants a new government, Oakville County?

I thought that is what the Republican Party

is so adamant against. New additional taxes, new police force, county hall buildings, elected officials’ salaries and perks, lobby-ists’ influence, just to name a few of the headaches that a new county breakaway will

bring. The monetary cost for this adventure will be astronomical. As a three-decade resi-dent of Oakville, this is not the way to go.

Burke Campbell Sr.Oakville

Call Publishing, Thursday, March 20, 2014 - Page 4A






[email protected]: Megan Zimmerman



[email protected] Editor: Mike [email protected]

By Mike Anthony

Epic fail: Library officialsdisregard stated mission

We believe St. Louis County Library officials are failing miserably at their stated mission “to provide the resources and services to enrich individual minds, enhance lives and expand perspectives.”

That’s our conclusion after dealing with library officials the past few months with regard to their plans to move the Tesson Ferry Branch from Lin Ferry Drive to Gravois and Musick, where a new building will be constructed. For people who are in the information business, library officials appear reluctant, if not downright un-willing, to respond to questions.

Concord resident Ed Ryan has made at least four requests for the same information to the library district under the provisions of the Missouri Open Meetings and Records Act, also called the Sunshine Law. Ryan was among local elected officials who spoke at a March 7 meeting opposing the move of the Tesson Ferry Library.

At the meeting, which drew more than 100 people, Ryan noted the dif-ficulty he’s encountered obtaining in-formation from library officials.

“Getting this information was like pulling teeth ...,” he said.

Ryan knows how good government operates, as he serves on the Board of Directors of the Mehlville Fire Pro-tection District, an entity that is the model of transparency.

And it gets even better. The day before the meeting, Ryan stood out-side the library and passed out fli-ers advertising the event — when a library official called the police on Ryan in an effort to have him re-moved from the premises.

When the Call’s Gloria Lloyd at-tempted to obtain a comment from library officials, Tesson Ferry Branch Manager Anne Arthur deferred all questions about the incident to library Communications Manager Jennifer McBride, who declined to comment.

Ryan and other elected officials, including Green Park Mayor Bob Reinagel, have raised many questions about the state of the existing Tesson Ferry Library and the reasons why library officials want to move the branch to Gravois and Musick.

Library Executive Director Kristen Sorth did not respond to Lloyd’s re-quests for comment. McBride de-clined to answer direct questions from the Call, but instead issued a statement ducking the questions, noting that she would have no further comment.

The public and press have many questions about the planned move of the Tesson Ferry Library. It’s too bad that Sorth and McBride are unwilling to answer them.







• QTNolan tells Call flier contains‘bad information’ on proposal(Continued from Page 1A)

QuikTrip’s proposal will require a map amendment for the newly created par-cel of property — taken from Missouri Department of Transportation right of way for Highway 30 and Interstate 270 — to become a PD-LC-B zoned lot, according to city officials. The request also would require a conditional-use permit for gas station use, which includes additional cri-teria of a motor-vehicle-oriented business.

Furthermore, QuikTrip has requested two variances that would be considered by the city’s Board of Adjustment, possibly on April 24, depending on the Planning and Zoning Commission’s recommendation.

Mayor Bill Nolan told the Call he took exception with a flier being circulated with his photograph that contains inaccurate in-formation about QuikTrip’s proposal.

“... First off, the people who did that never talked to me. Nobody ever contacted

me, and we can’t find anybody at City Hall those people ever contacted ...,” he said. “They put my picture on this thing, and then they published a whole bunch of bad information with that ...”

The flier, which contains no contact in-formation, states the proposal “has a high potential of closing access from Gravois to Kennerly,” and would result in the “loss of two highly used and beneficial commuter parking lots.”

Neither statement is true, Nolan said, not-ing access on Weber Hill from Gravois to Kennerly would not be closed and a new commuter parking lot would be built at Rahning Road and Highway 30.

As reported in July 2012 by the Call, the Board of Aldermen voted unanimously to adopt an ordinance approving a coop-eration agreement between the city and the Sansone Group for public improvements and development rights of the easternmost commuter parking lot. The duration of the cooperation pact was 18 months.

In December, aldermen voted unanimous-

ly to extend the agreement with Sansone until Jan. 10, 2015. City Attorney Robert E. Jones told the board in January that the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission approved the sale of the com-muter lots to Sansone. The 2.86 acres at the intersection of Weber Hill and Old Gravois were sold for $1,031,580 and a new 9.5-acre commuter lot.

“... Sansone and MoDOT have an agree-ment whereby Sansone has acquired the property at Rahning and Highway 30, down at the bottom of the hill, the southeast corner, and they’re going to put in a brand-new commuter parking lot ...,” Nolan said. “MoDOT is going to get some cash and a brand-new commuter lot in exchange for the two lots up front — but only the lots.

“The road’s going to stay between them ...”As proposed, QuikTrip would buy the

east commuter lot from Sansone, according to Nolan. At this point, the mayor doesn’t know what is proposed for the west lot.

“ ... I’m sure they have people talking to them about it (the west lot) ...,” he said.

To the editor:My family supports the efforts of the

educators, administration, board members and students and their successes in the Lindbergh School District.

Those praises need to be sung. However, I am concerned that there has been little discussion of the Prop G ballot issue. This concerns me for several reasons:

• Lindbergh wants to borrow $34 million in bonds. Superintendent Jim Simpson states in a letter that it will “cost about” $6.65 per month for a home worth $200,000, or $80 per year or $2,394 in noninflation adjusted dollars for a 30-year bond issue.

• This is just for construction. What about projected operating expenses to run the lights, insurance, books, salaries, et cetera?

• A total of 569 students joined Lindbergh schools over the past five years, or about 123 per year, and 464 students will enroll by 2018. An email I received states it is “stag-

gering enrollment growth.” These numbers appear to account for new students only and don’t address the numbers that leave the school district. These numbers include all of the Lindbergh School District, includ-ing the high school. How can you predict population movement to such a degree as to know that the current property under con-sideration is the best place to build a new school? Will we end up with underutilized buildings in the future?

• My monthly mortgage payment will in-crease by $74.23 per month in April — the house is not a $200,000 house. Two items caused the increase: 5.6 percent and 12.3 percent increases in real property taxes and hazard insurance, respectively.

With the exception of 2013 when my assessed value increased by 2.25 percent, my assessed value has decreased since 2009. Excellence in education doesn’t seem to propel home values where I live.

• There is a “multiplier” effect when taxes and/or insurance increase. I pay the real cost of $6.65 per month for this Prop G bond issue, plus the shortage and the “cush-ion” through a higher monthly mortgage payment the following year. So when any one of the 15 taxing districts says, “The cost is $6.65 per month,” it really isn’t. My property tax — no sewer lateral — went up $154 and insurance went up $114.

My mortgage will go up $890 this year because I was “short” in estimated taxes and insurance.

I would support an incremental approach.I would support a bond issue that address-

es the issues at the high school and nothing else for two years.

Taxing districts need to give us a breather for a couple of years to let our wages catch up. Please stop taxing us out of our homes.

Bill SchelinskiCrestwood

Letter writer would support ‘incremental approach’ to Lindbergh growth

Reader believes Tesson Ferry Library should stay at current locationTo the editor:Wake up, south county.What is the reason to build a new library at Gravois and Musick?When was this decided? Why wasn’t it presented to the residents

to vote on it? Where were our south county representatives at the

time that this was being decided upon? It seems like the greater part of the money is needed for the streets adjustment.

I say stay with the present location.Mary Kimmich

Crestwood

Call Publishing, Thursday, September 25, 2014 - Page 4A

By Mike Anthony

Military career impressive,transparency not so much

Crestwood City Administrator Mark Sime’s father-in-law is very proud of Sime’s military service.

And he should be. Sime, a retired Air Force colonel, has a distinguished mil-itary record. Sime’s father-in-law, Jim Furlong, outlined specifics of Sime’s 26 years of military service during the Aug. 12 Board of Aldermen meeting and called him “a true hero.”

“... I can go on and on and on about (Sime’s military service), and I find it outrageous that his ethics, his char-acter and his honesty are in question here ...,” Furlong said.

Sime’s military career is extreme-ly impressive. Much less impres-sive, however, was the fact that the vast majority of those attending the Aug. 12 meeting were unaware of Furlong’s relationship to Sime. In a breach of protocol, no one — not Mayor Gregg Roby nor acting City Clerk Helen Ingold — stopped to ask Furlong for his address. Over the past 20 years, we’ve seen speakers asked to stop their remarks until they identi-fy themselves and provide an address before being allowed to continue.

We were curious about Furlong’s address and submitted a public-records request to the city for it.

“The city does not have that infor-mation,” Ingold responded.

The lack of an address also raised a few eyebrows among some of the city’s aldermen, particularly when they received draft minutes of the Aug. 12 meeting, which contained no address for Furlong. At the Sept. 9 meeting, Ward 3 Alderman Paul Duchild raised the issue, but noted the address had since been supplied.

However, the address was not a residence, but a veterinary hospi-tal in Chesterfield. Curious about how Sime came to know Furlong’s address, the Call asked him about the fact that the speaker’s address was a veterinary hospital.

“I contacted him, and that’s the ad-dress that he gave me,” Sime said.

Asked if Furlong is his father-in-law, Sime answered after a long pause, “Uh, yes.”

When asked if he thought it odd that his father-in-law addressed the board, Sime said, “... I would have to ask: Why would it be odd?”

Ironically, the issue of Sime being a veteran was raised at the Aug. 12 meeting by former Ward 4 Alderman Deborah Beezley, who spoke just before Furlong. If we didn’t know bet-ter, one might believe the whole thing was choreographed with Beezley pro-viding the setup by saying, “... I think, Mr. Sime, you’re a vet ... and I think

(See SERVICE, Page 5A)












[email protected]: Megan Zimmerman



[email protected] Editor: Mike [email protected]

No discrimination against gays at Cor Jesu, former teacher writesTo the editor:I cannot believe all the inaccuracies in Gloria Lloyd’s recent

article about Cor Jesu Academy.It seems obvious to me that she has no clue about Cor Jesu or

the Catholic religion. I taught at Cor Jesu Academy, my daughter is a graduate and my granddaughter currently attends Cor Jesu.

Olivia Reichert was a physical education teacher and a graduate of Cor Jesu, as you stated. Christina Gambaro was a coach, but she was not a full-time teacher as Ms. Lloyd led readers to believe.

Ms. Gambaro substituted for a social studies teacher once.I was at Cor Jesu on Friday, Sept. 5, and saw the individuals

on Gravois with their signs. In her failure to tell the whole story, Ms. Lloyd neglected to mention that while a handful of protesters were lined up on Gravois Road that morning, Cor Jesu’s gym was filled with students, parents, friends and supporters celebrating the beginning of the school year with a beautiful Mass of the Holy Spirit.

Many people who were honking their horns that morning were honking in support of the school, not the individuals on the street outside. Ms. Lloyd failed to report that there was also a woman outside with a sign supporting Cor Jesu.

She quoted Marek Bozek, who identified himself as a Catholic

priest. However, Bozek was excommunicated from the Catholic Church and his church, St. Stanislaus, is no longer a Catholic Church.

I did not see anyone else among the protestors with a Roman collar like Bozek was wearing, so it was inaccurate of Ms. Lloyd to use the plural “priests” in her article.

When I worked at Cor Jesu, I was with gay teachers and taught gay students. No gay person has been discriminated against at Cor Jesu. Students are repeatedly told by faculty and staff that they are loved for who they are.

Olivia Reichert and Christina Gambaro were let go because they violated their contracts and they knew it. They, along with others who do not understand the standards that Catholic teachers must abide by, are trying to harm Cor Jesu because Cor Jesu did what it had to do.

CJA all the way.Ceal Parchomski

ConcordEditor’s note: Gloria Lloyd reports she saw more than one

Catholic priest attending the Sept. 5 rally and did not see a sign in favor of the school. St. Stanislaus is an independent Catholic Church not affiliated with the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

Aldermen accept panel’s recommendationto OK consultant for Comprehensive Plan(Continued from Page 1A)and Crestwood and currently has two sets of names on the plaque, Hoffmann noted: Mayor Mark Furrer of Sunset Hills and Mayor Gregg Roby of Crestwood, with former Mayor Jeff Schlink listed under Roby but no one listed under Furrer.

Schlink and Nolan worked on the dog park project together, but were defeated for re-election in April by Roby and Furrer, respectively.

Asked why Crestwood listed its former mayor but Sunset Hills did not, Parks and Recreation Director Gerald Brown said at the Sept. 9 meeting, “I can just basically say that I was directed to put what was up there.”

The boulder has the space for the name, and the cost of the request will be minimal, Brown added.

In other matters, aldermen:• Unanimously agreed to accept the recommendation of the

Planning and Zoning Commission to select Houseal Lavigne of Chicago as the consultant for the city’s new Comprehensive Plan and negotiate on the scope and cost of the plan.

One of the problems with the current Comprehensive Plan is that

many of the suggestions were not implemented, City Engineer and Public Works Director Bryson Baker said, noting that Houseal Lavigne is “very good at implementation.” The other options were PGAV and Streiler & Associates.

• Unanimously agreed to renew the city’s deer bow-hunting ordinance for another season, which is currently underway until January. The new legislation adds more regulations than last year’s and passed 8-0, with several residents speaking in support of it at the meeting.

• Approved Furrer’s appointment of frequent bow-hunting ordi-nance critic Sandra Jo Ankney to the city’s Deer Committee.

The board approved the appointment 6-2, with Ward 1 Alderman Richard Gau and Ward 3 Alderman Kurt Krueger opposed. City Collector Michael Sawicki, who serves as chairman of the Deer Committee, told the board that he does not support the appoint-ment, saying, “I feel the committee is fine as it is.”

• Unanimously agreed to accept a 15-acre donation of vacant land from a resident who wanted to donate property in memory of his late wife and allowed the city to select the location.

Brown said the city chose this property because it is the last parcel available along the Meramec River in Sunset Hills, and the city hopes to eventually use it as part of a three-mile trail from Tapawingo to Minnie Ha Ha Park.

• Plaque

In contest of mayors, Sunset Hills wins over Toronto, letter writer saysTo the editor:After reading the article regarding Mayor

Mark Furrer’s past actions while in control of a motor vehicle, I had to read it a second time just to make sure I got it right.

I have to admit that I am not the bright-

est bulb in the box, but I was able to glean enough information to make me feel proud as punch to have such an outgoing and debonair official leading the great city of Sunset Hills. Also in today’s daily news-paper, I happened to read another article

about Rob Ford, the mayor of Toronto.If there was a contest to see which city

is the bigger laughing stock, Sunset Hills would win, hands down.

Jim KohnenConcord

Call Publishing, Thursday, September 25, 2014 - Page 5A

Some question contributionsmade by McBride to Stenger(Continued from Page 1A)“pure ice” in the winter, when “it’s like the Keystone Kops out there” with cars sliding and colliding.

With hundreds of Ferguson protesters packed into the council meeting, the con-cerns of the south county neighbors who want to keep their neighborhood the way it is were mostly well-received by the protesters, who were also directing their comments that night to Stenger.

The neighbors hoped to duplicate their success at stopping a subdivision at the same site a decade ago, when former Coun-cilman John Campisi, R-south county, led the council to unanimously vote down a proposal for 105 houses. Stenger defeated Campisi for the seat in 2008 and has taken a different tactic toward potential develop-ments than Campisi, who would typically oppose rezoning if nearby residents did not want it.

McBride’s Jeannie Aumiller said at the July 21 Planning Commission public hear-ing on the project that the new proposal is smaller: a 65-unit subdivision of attached duplexes, triplexes and four-plexes that will span 13.5 acres on either side of Suson Hills Drive, with an average lot size of 0.12 acre.

No traffi c study has been conducted for the new development. Responding to con-cerns that the traffi c from this subdivision and a 25-home subdivision being built by Pinnacle less than a mile away near Wells Road could overwhelm the traffi c capacity of Suson Hills Drive, McBride attorney John King dismissed those concerns and said traffi c is a good thing to have.

“Traffi c? We have traffi c everywhere. I come out of my subdivision on Laclede Station Road to traffi c,” King said. “If we didn’t have traffi c, we’d all be sorely upset because we wouldn’t have places to go to work.”

The organizer of the subdivision oppo-sition, 38-year South Hills resident Geri Baum, told the Call that when she talked with McBride CEO John Eilermann Jr. while the bill was still on hold at the coun-cil, he told her that the property’s closing date was set for the next week, which would mean that the council would have had to grant approval two weeks in a row.

“He said, ‘We close next week.’ I said, ‘The county hasn’t even voted on it yet.’ He said, ‘It’s going to happen,’ and I thought that was curious that he would know with certainty that this zoning was going to go through — and we hadn’t even voted yet,” Baum said.

Some of the neighbors noted to the coun-cil that Stenger has received signifi cant campaign contributions from McBride, King and other developers whose projects Stenger later voted to approve.

“I really thought at one time — falsely — that Steve Stenger represented the people that voted him into offi ce,” Baum said, noting her yard had a Stenger sign before the Aug. 5 primary. “And now I feel that he represents McBride and (J.H.) Berra and not the interests of the people.”

Campaign-fi nance records show that Stenger has raised more than $2 million in his bid for county executive. The Planning Commission recommended approval of the Suson Hills project 6-0 on Aug. 4. In August alone, Stenger received $17,500 from McBride, which is the largest union home-builder in the nation.

This summer, Stenger also received at least $20,000 in donations from subsidiar-ies of J.H. Berra, which often develops properties with McBride and currently has a proposal for a 43-unit subdivision on Brittinger Road pending at the council.

Stenger told the Call that he has never based a zoning decision on whether a company has donated money to one of his campaigns and that he analyzes each proj-ect individually for its merits.

“In my last report, I think I may have had in excess of 300 separate contributions from companies and individuals. These contributions have extended over years, years and years. I mean, it’s what we do in public life. You have to run for election, and people make contributions,” he said. “I think what you’ll fi nd is the individuals that she mentioned and the companies that she mentioned have been giving to me for years, quite literally since I fi rst began.

“Not for some type of political favor, but because they believe in me. And they believe in good government.”

Veteran real-estate attorney King, who represents McBride and Berra, has donated to both Stenger and County Executive Charlie Dooley in the past. His wife, Gloria, donated $1,000 to Stenger Aug. 26, listing the address of King’s Clayton law fi rm, Lathrop & Gage.

Overall, Stenger receives heavy fi nancial support from fellow lawyers, unions and development interests, including $10,000 donated Aug. 28 from a political-action committee for homebuilders.

Campaign-fi nance records of Stenger’s opponent in November’s election, Rep. Rick Stream, R-Kirkwood, show Stream has raised $465,000 and did not receive anything approaching the level of fi nancial support from homebuilders and developers that Stenger did.

• Concerns

• ServiceSime’s father-in-law outragedover criticism of administrator(Continued from Opinions, A)we are proud — I should think we should be proud that we have hired vets in our community. I’m saddened tonight by the way we treat people ...”

That’s ludicrous. Certainly no one in public service would stage such an elabo-rate setup just to defend himself or herself

against criticism. Equally ludicrous, how-ever, is that somehow Sime merits a free pass from criticism on how he is perform-ing his duties as city administrator because of his past military service.

Perhaps President Theodore Roosevelt put it best: “To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is mor-ally treasonable to the American public.”

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