Who's on first?

This could get a citizen wondering and perhaps a little upset. In summary here in Midville; in a recent power struggle between the Chief of Police and the City Manager, the city council sided, apparently, with the City Manager against the popular Police Chief. With this vote of no confidence, the Police Chief resigns. Then a month of so later we are led to believe that the City Manager resigns for personal reasons. No official word on what those reasons were other than the popular and too often used excuse, to spend more time with his family and pursue other interests.

Okay, except now slipped into the city council's agenda we find that we, the citizens, are going to be paying a six figure "severance package" to the ex manager. In the lingo of the common people "severance" usually means the dude was let go, as in fired. Things happen, but perhaps the city leadership ought to remember their Sunday School lesson from which we derived the old saying "Honesty is the Best Policy". Or was that Benjamin Franklin? Or Abe Lincoln? No matter it holds true.

Thanks to the Reporter-Telegram for keeping up with this. In fact while at the newspaper offices this morning editor Stewart Doreen was on the phone with the city spokesperson, apparently, about the council meeting to vote on the severance package. As I stood waiting at his desk, among the snippets of conversation I picked up from Stewart's side were...."what do you mean this is a closed session of the council". Makes one wonder.

Anyway, the ex-city manager will now probably be able to live up to his desire to spend more time with his family. Courtesy of the taxpayers.