By Jerry Haferkamp
I’ll have to start this column with an apology to our new Chief of Police. Although we haven’t had a meeting of PSCF since Tim Swope was approved for the position, I’m sure we all approve of Chief Swope. I’m apologizing since I know the endorsement of PSCF, the First Capitol News or any of its writers will make his job more difficult. The small group currently in charge at the Criminal Justice Center will have their hackles raised by any sign of approval from any of the above. They are already upset that he is bringing a couple of his most trusted with him. He apparently is going into the job ready to roll. It’s good to see one of our own “home grown” citizens get the nod.
Now all we need to calm the waters is the resolution of the lawsuit that resulting from the City Council’s decision to stop paying one of the policemen for work not being done for our City. Let’s get this done with too. Let’s hope it goes in front of a competent judge around 11:30 a.m. It should be tossed in time to get the noon special at one of the Main Street eateries. It is no wonder there are so many “lawyer” jokes.
Several of the citizens at the multi-ward meeting wanted an update on what was being done in reference to the police officers that have put us all in jeopardy of a lawsuit. They didn’t get one due to secrecy of “personnel issues”. Are closed sessions really in our best interest?
Speaking of the multi-ward meeting, our local gadabout (for those of you over at stchuckwatch, a gadabout is a social person who flits from party to party), John S., published an astoundingly one-sided column the other day telling what happened at a meeting he didn’t attend. His column was a study in hearsay. For any of you who read his misrepresentation of what happened, let me point out a few things. The questions asked of Larry White, as well as other department heads and elected officials, were written by the residents attending. They were then given to their Council representative to ask of the officials and department heads. If Larry White was “set up”, it was because he put himself in front of a public irate over what transpires out on Zumbehl and Greystone, not to mention what occurs behind the Mayor’s closed doors. When Mr. White referred to Mr. Gieseke as an a__ ___e, he was calling the resident who gave the question to Gieseke an a__ __e. That was not a nice way to treat the public. Mr. White should follow Harry Truman’s advice, “If you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen.”
John S. also wrote that Mr. White claimed Joe Koester said St. Charles is a “police state”. That isn’t true. While Mr. Koester did use the phrase, it was used to describe the result if a police department runs a city. It was kind of an “if the shoe fits” type of situation. Apparently Mr. White, and only Mr. White, felt that the shoe fit.
I kept my question mild. I just wanted to know if the storm sewers on West Clay would ever be brought up to the level they should have been three years ago when the street was resurfaced. I didn’t think street resurfacing should include built-in potholes in the form of storm grates.
For those of you who are upset over John S.’s column, remember it is an “op-ed” column and doesn’t require any factual information. Sure, he’s biased against the Council, but cut him some slack. There wasn’t a “Patti party” to report on this week and he has to “publish or perish”.
The audit should be finished some time this month. Our meeting will be late this month in hopes the audit is made public by then. Linnemann Library, Thursday, March 24 @ 7:15 p.m.
Flood out your resume, Steve. The fat chick is about to belt out an aria.
