Reader appreciates apology

I was asked by city council member Karen Liebrecht if I could come to the Nov. 8 city council meeting. It was a very friendly and gracious phone call and she explained why she hoped I would come. She is a small business owner and because I admire her for many reasons, I agreed to attend. At the council meeting, when it came her turn to comment on non-agenda items, she spoke as to why she had asked me to be there. She said that she owed me an apology for failing to speak in my defense at a prior council meeting. There had been an uncharacteristic outburt of temper by a council member who threatened to have me removed from the building. When she finished, I asked if I could speak. A one word answer came from our mayor, Jon Lane. He just said, "Briefly." I thanked her and told her I surely didn't think she had failed me. With barely two years of council experience, it was not her place to apologize for another councilmember's tantrum. Especially since several week had passed with no apology from him.

Councilmembers have a difficult and complicated job to do and time has shown that when some serve long enough, they become arrogant and self-absorbed and don't want to listen to mere citizens' opinions. While a loss of temper is easy enough to forgive, indignant arrogance is not. The results of the recent elections did nothing to change the status quo. Wisdom of the council can put arrogance in check in January by electing a new mayor.

Anyone who missed the grand opening of our new civic center and the museum and art center's holiday show missed out on a really great evening. Hats off to all who made it happen, to Joe Gavinski and Michael's on the Lake.