Assembly, Public Process
Dear Editor: Is it just me or have the Assembly meetings evolved into epic multiple-hour spectacles? If I had to give a technical description of these events, it would be “15 minutes of useful information crammed into 3 hours.” And why is this?
One concern I hear time and again is the zealous protection of citizen rights by the public process. That’s wonderful! But I never hear any discussion of public responsibility connected to those rights. In my view, the majority of Assembly agenda items are simply business decisions that staff need approval to execute and complete. So much time is wasted because individuals have not shown responsibility to understand these issues and instead wax poetic at the Assembly table. Most of the questions are answered if one takes the time to read the documentation.
City staff spend inordinate amounts of time preparing agenda items to provide pertinent information to the Assembly and the public. All agendas are published well in advance of meetings to allow any interested party to research any issue. Also available at City Hall or on-line, is access to Sitka General Code, and the City Charter; which define the rules we play by. And for the speed-readers and insanely curious amongst you, Alaska Statues and Administrative Code are easily available on-line as well, which also provide rules which we must play by.
Despite the zeal for protecting the public, please note that even public restrooms have doors on the toilet stalls because legitimate and messy business is conducted there. And most would agree behind closed doors is the appropriate venue. Same with city government. In the future as we stand into the third and fourth hours of Assembly meetings I would encourage all participants to check their shoes for toilet paper.
Christopher Brewton, Sitka
Public Restrooms
Dear Editor: I’m living in Juneau now and just back to visit. I still love the town and people here.
With Sitka in pandemic mode it seems many public restrooms, and this means public places for hand-washing, are now closed. While at the same time many places are providing hand-sanitizing stations or even requiring them.
Hand sanitizer may be effective against COVID-19 when used properly, but many of us don’t follow the exact steps needed to make it effective each and every time, and it has a tendency to dry out and damage skin even more than hand washing, which leaves us more vulnerable to the invading hoards. Hand washing still needs to be available for basic hygiene and to help reduce the spread of this virus.
I know it’s hard to maintain one more thing, but making public hand washing available again is going to be better for everyone in the long run. If you’re a person who has some say in whether a public bathroom remains shuttered or reopens please consider the importance basic hygiene plays in natural selection for this virus and all the others still in play.
Bill Giant, Sitka
Passing On
Dear Editor: Quoth Bertrand Russell,
‘‘After ages during which the earth produced harmless trilobites and butterflies, evolution has progressed to the point at which it has generated Nero(s), Genghis Khablan(s), and Hitler(s). This, however, I believe is a passing nightmare; in time the earth will become again incapable of supporting life, and peace will return.’’
Say hey Cassandra, Joshua got-away. (Hint: save green stamps).
Jeff Kinnan, Sitka
Statue Removal
Dear Editor: I noted with interest the Campbells’ letter to the editor in the Sentinel’s June 22 edition, in which the writers call for the removal of the Baranof statue from its current location, so as not to any further celebrate ‘‘subjugations of one culture over another.’’
A question is begged: If there are Tlingit commemoratives displayed on, say, Kodiak, should they be removed, inasmuch as the Tlingit raided that far west, and onto the Kenai and Copper River areas as, well, imperialists? These incursions were not social calls – the quest was for material wealth, including slaves. My point is that selective history, like selective memory, is not useful. The late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan’s words are here instructive. ‘‘People are entitled to their own opinions. They are not entitled to their own facts.’’
Charles B. Dean, Sitka
Front Page Photo
Dear Editor: James Poulson’s photo in Tuesday’s Sentinel was deeply inspiring. I have the deepest respect for Bob Sam joining Nicole Fiorino and Hal Spackman in the cleaning of the Baranof statue. His action was courageous and compassionate and sets the standard for how we, as Sitkans, need to work together to address the conflicts that divide us.
Mark Gorman, Sitka
