Wrong place, wrong time

Upon first read, I thought Elton Dodson's letter on States McCarter was a nice tribute to the late commissioner. And, on the whole, it remains that.

However, when you read it again, you find that it's got a good share of poor taste mixed in with it. Why? Namely because it capitalizes on McCarter's death as an opportunity for Dodson to deliver a broadside against the former commissioners he used to serve with ...

Over time, our views became increasingly divergent and we eventually began to clash, sometimes bitterly. Commissioner McCarter had become convinced our government had lost sight of its purpose and that our leadership had failed the community. I defended the mayor and stood by my promise to work with rather than against the government.

While much of his anger toward the end of his term has been attributed to his ailment, hindsight has allowed me to realize that States McCarter - and ironically, his sometimes-nemesis Commissioner Carl Jordan - was right all along. I do stand by the decisions I made on our policy disputes. However, had I listened to and trusted Commissioner McCarter more acutely, I would have anticipated our government's impending derailment and leadership crisis much sooner.

Listen, there's no reason why Dodson, or anyone else for that matter, shouldn't express their concerns, criticisms and observations regarding our public servants. However, slipping in a blanket attack against those servants in the middle of a letter memoralizing a man who just passed away three days earlier is ridiculous and, well, kinda cheap.

And one other thing ...

I promise to continue to follow your example and strive to be fearless against long odds and to be resilient in the face of adversity.

Unless, of course, someone decides to run against you.