I am going to share an email thread that I have received from Councilmember Elizabeth Walker. I will include all the correspondence from this thread and I just ask that you read it and tell me what you think.
From: gone right [mailto:goneright@live.com]
Sent: Mon 1/11/2010 11:35 AM
To: Dianne Brudnicki; Elizabeth Walker; gary gill; gerard cattin; Glen Kuntz; Vicki Edwards; goneright@live.com; Will Ibershof
Subject: welcome back
I am looking forward to a great new year. I hope that I will be able to get each of you to take a few minutes and send out a letter to the citizens in town on any subject of your choice. I currently have over 1000 hits a month and most the citizens are anxious to hear from their representatives.
Please consider this forum as a way to speak to them.
Thank you
Thomas Paine
Subject: RE: welcome back
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:44:58 -0800
From: elizabeth.walker@duvallwa.gov
To: goneright@live.com; dianne.brudnicki@duvallwa.gov; glen.kuntz@duvallwa.gov; vicki.edwards@duvallwa.gov; will.ibershof@duvallwa.gov; amy.ockerlander@duvallwa.gov; gerard.cattin@duvallwa.gov; gary.gill@duvallwa.gov
Public policy is to respond only to inquirers that identify themselves and specifically request through existing channels - i.e. the City website or our City email addresses.
From: gone right [mailto:goneright@live.com]
Sent: Tue 1/19/2010 9:37 AM
To: Elizabeth Walker
Subject: RE: welcome back
Wow. That is interesting. Please provide the reference to the Duvall Municipal Code or any other documentation that supports this statement. I am very interested to see what you come up with.
Thomas
Subject: RE: welcome back
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:40:32 -0800
From: elizabeth.walker@duvallwa.gov
To: goneright@live.com; will.ibershof@duvallwa.gov; gary.gill@duvallwa.gov; glen.kuntz@duvallwa.gov; dianne.brudnicki@duvallwa.gov; amy.ockerlander@duvallwa.gov; vicki.edwards@duvallwa.gov; gerard.cattin@duvallwa.gov
CC: bruce@disendlaw.com
Let me clarify - good public policy is... that is why you are not getting responses from any of the councilmembers. We don't need code or written policy to do the right thing...but if we need to in order to deal with situations like yours, then I will suggest working on it at our retreat next month. I'm sure our city attorney will provide appropriate language to incorporate into our communication policy.
From: gone right (goneright@live.com)
Sent: Tue 1/26/10 1:53 PM
To: elizabeth walker (elizabeth.walker@duvallwa.gov); will ibershof (will.ibershof@duvallwa.gov); gary.gill@duvallwa.gov; glen kuntz (glen.kuntz@duvallwa.gov); dianne brudnicki (dianne.brudnicki@duvallwa.gov); Amy Ockerlander (amy.ockerlander@duvallwa.gov); vicki edwards (vicki.edwards@duvallwa.gov); gerard.cattin@duvallwa.gov
Cc: bruce@disendlaw.com
Elizabeth, et al,
I am glad that you have clarified that there is no policy that prohibits you from replying to my emails. I appreciate you acknowledging the error.
I am concerned that you feel the need to have the city attorney draft policy language that would provide you with an excuse to not speak to the people who elected you to your office. I am also concerned that you feel the need to make a new policy to specifically deal with situations like mine. The situation, as I see it, is that I presented an offer to each councilmember to write a letter to the citizens, on any topic of your choice, and I would post it, without edits, to the blog. I understand that you may not wish to take advantage of this opportunity, but a simple "no thank you" would have been sufficient. Your response was disappointing.
I do agree that you do not need code or written policy to do the right thing. I hope that in the future you will take the opportunity to mingle with us lowly citizens and spend a little time talking to us rather than finding ways to avoid our desire to hear from our leaders.
In the interest of fair play I will be making a blog post on this subject today. Please feel free to read it and leave your comments. The address is www.goneright.blogspot.com
Thank you
Thomas Paine
So there you have it. Let me know what you think and I will post more about this tomorrow.
Thomas
WOW. They really don't give a darn what we think do they? I wish I would have seen this before the election, I would have voted a different way.
ReplyDeleteNot exactly the candidate that came to my door. It's not just disappointing, it's down right disgusting that she would lie about a policy to accomplish whatever her goal was. She lost my respect and my vote.
Dave
I am not surprised by this. In many emails between the council members and myself I have seen this type of reaction. I have not seen it this blatantly but it is there. I hope that shedding some light on this type of thing will help.
ReplyDeleteTo be fair to them I was the campaign manager of John Durant so I expected some of the treatment I got from some of Elizabeth's political allies, but this surprises even me.
Rob Millard
Rob,
ReplyDeleteWhat were your experiences?
Thomas,
ReplyDeleteI would rather not say. Let's just say that I no longer get invited to some council members houses.
Rob
It seems like she doesn't want to talk to you because she doesn't know who you are.
ReplyDeleteJamie
I would understand if I was asking her to meet me or something like that but I was just asking if each councilmember wanted to write a letter.
ReplyDeleteBy way of information I have sent several emails to the council asking them to look at the blog and to comment if they would like. The first offer was the 10th of November of last year. I have encouraged them to look at the blog and to make their own decision on the content. I really just wanted to get the discussion started.
I really have no words for this....
ReplyDeletealthough ive never supported these candidates, i actually thought they had our best intrests at heart....even if they went about it wrong. Is this the norm for politicians these days? either John Durant is the same way (wich i doubt) or the people of duvall voted in the wrong person for THEIR SEAT
-wash
Wash,
ReplyDeleteI think that this is becoming the norm more often. It seems that Politics is becoming a profession rather than a time of service. We have come such a long way from the days of our founders when Washington gave up the Presidency after 2 terms because it was the right thing to do. He would have easily won a third term had he run again. If he did run for that third term, he would have died in office, thus completely changing our expectations of a President.
It wasn't until Franklin Roosevelt that a President got elected to a 3rd term and then a fourth. In 1947 Congress passed the 22nd amendment and it was ratified in 1951 limiting the president to 2 terms.
This shows a complete change of attitude from Washington giving up the Presidency because it was the right thing to do and the people telling the President that he can not serve more that 2 terms because it is wrong for him to do so. This is the key change I am seeing. Elected officials used to be public servants now they are more likely to see the public as servants.
I apologize for the lengthy explanation but I hope it helps.
Oh my gosh! I cannot believe it. But there it is. WOW! To me that would be unacceptable. I am just appalled. I think I'll be more committed to seeking out, learning about and getting to know council members more personally and in depth before I vote for them again. She doesn't even explain herself very well- like when she's trying to clarify what good public policy is. She said "this is why you are not getting any responses" but that doesn't clarify anything. Beating around the bush I think is what they call it. What a sad response.
ReplyDeleteI am interested to know how you found her email address. She said you had to request through existing channels. It looks like to me all the email addresses you sent those to were the existing channels- those email addresses are on the City of Duvall's website. I checked. Have you gotten a response from anyone else on that list you emailed?
And the "right thing?" Hmm...it sounds like she thinks the right thing to do is avoid dealing with Duvall citizens at her discretion. Why would an anonymous suggestion, as you gave her, come across as anything other than that? We all have a right to recieve a response from the ciy council- anonymous or not.
Thank you Thomas Paine for sharing this unfortunate communication. It has been frustrating but very enlightening.
I truly hope that this type of evasive activity stops. We deserve better from our representatives. They should be better.
ReplyDeleteand yet there is still no reply
ReplyDeleteI dont want this to be a "hate-on-city-council-members" discussion...but why is it so beneath them to respond to valid questions? the people of duvall elected them into OUR office! and now the people of duvall want a response.
On a different note, i met john durant today and im glad i voted for him.
-wash
Maybe they will mention it at city council tonight.
ReplyDelete