Open Letter to the Residents of St. Charles
From JOHN GIESEKE
City Councilman Ward 8
I am writing this in response to the hiring of a new chief but I also want to apologize for the action and comments attributed to the previous acting Chief. Acting Chief White was quoted as saying that the crowd at a recent multiple ward meeting was “unruly.” To the 100 residents who attended; you know the truth. I hope you now understand the backbiting and unprofessionalism of some of the City’s upper level staff, we, your elected representatives, have to put up with.
Everyday the decisions and actions of the duly elected body of this City go untouched by many of the department heads in this City. Am I pushy when it comes to those who do their job? No. When someone is not doing their job and acting in a way I believe is detrimental to St. Charles, absolutely. I don’t shy away from an issue because it might be politically tough. My job is to represent the residents of Ward 8. I am not here to represent and stand up for the department heads; they work for us, the residents of this City. The problem is, too often they are working against us, not for us. There are some who believe the tax dollars flow in, and are free for then to waste. You and I work too hard to allow this wasteful spending to occur. I have made it a point to expand our tax base to spread the cost of doing business, yet some in the City only look at one side of the equation.
This is why I am so pleased and honored to say Tim Swope is the new Chief of Police of St. Charles. Chief Swope grew up in St. Charles and I have observed in him many of the same values I possess and want to see instilled in our City. I am confident Chief Swope will bring a new and fresh outlook to a department in need of some fine-tuning.
With the addition of Chief Swope, I can say public safety in St. Charles is no longer a place to send those waiting to retire. With Chief Rhodes of the Fire Department and Chief Swope at the helm of our Police Department St. Charles has two very dynamic leaders. I am confident the residents of St. Charles will be served for years to come by these two, and our public safety is in good hands.
Thank you,
John Gieseke
City Councilman Ward 8
