I was dismayed to observe the outrageous conduct of current and past Cortez City Council members, as well as other city representatives, at the sanitation district meeting on April 30. These people were so proud of their bad behavior that they posted it on YouTube for the whole world to see. What an embarrassment for our city to have the world think this is how our leaders act in public. Had these people bothered to inform themselves, they would have read the agenda for the meeting and seen that there was no audience participation.
In contrast to the bad behavior exhibited by the audience, the video shows the Sanitation District board members conducting themselves with dignity and control. I believe every governing board should adopt a resolution preventing sitting members from seeking seats on other boards to maintain the integrity of the governing body. Otherwise, you could end up with a board composed completely of inexperienced persons. And no person should be allowed to hold more than one position that is funded from public monies and that controls how public monies are spent. We need representatives who take the time to inform themselves on issues and make intelligent decisions and statements based on facts — not people who jump to conclusions and make statements without bothering to educate themselves with facts. And we need people who will spend our limited monies wisely and not create unnecessary expenses just because it is a popular trend.
Jodie Henley
Cortez
