To the Editor:
When you published my letter last week, I promised I would continue to voice my opinions. Thank you for the opportunity. Unfortunately I have too many words again so I will offer the Mayor and Council constructive ideas next week.
Madam Mayor, morals are a person’s standards of behavior. There is such a thing as right and wrong. It is important to me that government be done right and I will continue to pursue those who have crossed the line. And Madam Mayor, because of your own personal conduct of late, I will not debate you regarding morals. You might have some somewhere some time ago.
I confess that I know very little about atheism. And since you are a committed atheist, I must ask, when you say the Pledge of Allegiance, what do you do when you get to “under God”? And when you took your oath of office? And why do you allow invocations at Council meetings if you do not believe in God? I assume that you are accepting the U.S. legal tender. How can you handle money with “ In God we trust” printed or embossed on every denomination? You, Madam Mayor, are a hypocrite.
Madam Mayor, you are responsible for running city Council meetings.
So, when Setterstrom, Odgers, and Switzer verbally attacked a council member about her keeping them after hours and accused her of sexual harassment, you sat by and let the assault go on for nearly an hour…….
So, when Setterstrom rattles on for 45 minutes about things so unimportant no one can remember what the topic was and in the next breath he says “these meetings last too long”, you sat by and did nothing…..
So, when a city employee requested a transfer to another department, Judge Coster assaulted her work ethics and abilities during a public comment period, you sat by and did nothing…..So, when a motion is made, you allow so much confused discussion that the people are confused as to the exact wording of the motion, you sit by and ignore requests for clarification…..So, when people complain in meetings that they cannot hear, you sit by and do nothing…..
You said my letter to the Editor is embarrassing to the City. You should be embarrassed, Madam Mayor. If you watched a video of your meetings you would see what I see: a bunch of professional idiots who have no regard for the laws. You are disrespectful and the elected officials, attorney, and administrator are the ones who deserve to be embarrassed.
I do believe that you and city council members have made up your mind about issues before they are even discussed in an open meeting. I received a phone call that you, Odgers, Switzer, Setterstrom, Gardner, and Hanson met to discuss putting the city attorney and administrator under contracts. They fear losing their jobs when the new Council is seated in a few weeks. Here again, Madam Mayor, you are breaking the law. I understand that this agenda item, along with many others, was removed from the agenda for the meeting held May 25th. Perhaps you got wind that the contract item was illegal (maybe for being discussed in an illegal meeting, maybe because you allowed the City attorney to write his own contract, maybe because ???…). Having been found guilty of violating the open meeting laws 4 times in the last six months, I find it hard to have confidence in you and the Council. Congratulations to Councilwoman Pat Robison for recognizing the violation and the courage to submit the complaint to the Attorney General. And congratulations to the Attorney General for ordering that you, the Council, City Attorney, and Administrator attend training in the Open Meeting Laws. After training, you should have no excuses for inventing your own laws.
Thank you for the opportunity to voice my opinions. Next week, part 3.
Lin Burleigh
Another personal opinion piece from outer space: Made up facts from watching meeting videos and hateful personal attacks, ugh. And apparently the paper has made another unpaid columnist hiding behind letters to the editor, since a weekly installment is promised. Didn’t this woman leave Ely long ago when her upset or paranoia or personal crisis (not sure which) started? Did she have a history of mismanagement and co-worker problems at the County? Makes you wonder if it is true that NEvada has inadequate mental health facilities to serve its people. Thank you for the opportunity to voice my opinions. Next week, bring our manure shovels.
Regardless she is entitled to express her opinion.
Since “Resident Observer” does not sign his/her name, I can only direct my response to “Hey You”
By trying to disparage the original author and comment, you failed, in your duty as “Resident Observer”, to make you own evaluation of the charges Ms. Burleigh, brought to light. I did research the letter and found it to be correct in content and accusations of violations of law and statute.
I don’t wish to respond to Ms. Burleigh’s or to your personal attacks. However, the facts are the facts! I have watched this particular “Contract Matter” myself at meetings and personal observations. What is happening is a dark time in Ely’s future contribution to history!
Sincerely, (my name) Wm. Horsley
(‘Hey Wm.’)
Just shoving in, but here’s the thing – regarding the occasional fixation on names – for the limited purposes of this blog, I am tempted to provide this: “a nom de plume (pen name) is a pseudonym adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of his or her works in place of their “real” name. A pen name may be used to make the author’s name more distinctive, to disguise his or her gender, to distance an author from some or all of his or her previous works, to protect the author from retribution…”
Check that last one, Wm. – ‘to protect the author from retribution’.
It’s a small community. There are some who would seek to carry an argument beyond the admittedly comfortable limits of this forum – and have communicated such interest in the past. You may not care, good for you. However I have noticed that those who fixate and repeatedly complain about the use of pen names here often enough also seem prone to aggressively arguing and possibly even trolling on this site after a strong back and forth, occasionally going so far as to exclaim things like ‘I wish I knew who (pen name) really was’.
Really? And why would that be?
A pen name in no way de-legitimizes an opinion. It protects from aggressive neighbors. For those that struggle to accept that, I will simply remind you that A) this site allows them, and B) THIS ISN’T THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDANCE, LIGHTEN UP.
Sincerely, (my name) Doesn’t Matter
To “Doesn’t Matter”: Hmmmm! I see! Then I guess you are warning me to be advised I am in danger by signing my name, of great bodily harm from my neighbors. I don’t agree but you, of course, are free to have your own opinion and expound it. That is in the U.S. Constitution. Sorry, but I did not understand your reference to the Declaration of Independence.
(my name) Wm. Horsley (not in FEAR)
This is the stuff that soap operas are made of! Makes for good reading. I do miss Ely, Nevada and it’s great to see so many involved in politics now!
I just had a short comment regarding the Mayor being an atheist. Isn’t there something written about Freedom of Religion? It is not yours to judge what she believes in…that will be God’s judgment (see the pun there?). And, as an added note with regards the ‘legal tender’ she has stating “In God We Trust”…what do you expect her to do? Paying cash does not make her a hypocrite…it makes her a valued customer.
I think judging someone because of their religious beliefs borderlines discrimination.
Based on my personal experience at those Council meetings w/those Council members and Attorney/City Clerk, I must agree with the writer.