All the while the extremely questionable good old boy behavior on the part of Conlee has gone unnoticed by the Eagle.
To add insult to injury the Eagle has tried to paint Moore’s supporters as angry contrarians. But of course when the good old boys disagree with a majority of their constituents, they are not at all contrary in the eyes of the Eagle. While no tea has yet to go into the harbor, it seems to me that the citizens of Bryan have want hard questions to be asked of the good old boys. That is what they said when they overwhelmingly elected Mike Southerland over Russell Bradly last year. But now the Eagle seems to see Southerland’s encouragement of citizen involvement at City Hall as nothing more than an annoyance. I pray that once again the decent citizens of Bryan will vote for a change to this good old boy system and elect Mary Kaye Moore. I also hope that eventually the Eagle will take its responsibility to fair and evenhanded reporting, including a full disclosure of possible conflicts of interest, a little more seriously. Let’s keep bias on the opinion page where it belongs.
2 comments:
This e-mail was sent to April Avison after her April 27, 2007, article appeared in The Eagle:
"I do wonder how and why I was one of three people singled out of all Mary Kaye Moore's supporters when I was not contacted by you -- even more, I wonder why it was made to sound, in the article published in The Eagle the morning of April 27, 2007, like my working for the chance for citizens to get petitions signed and preserve the integrity of their neighborhoods was something to be frowned upon.
Initially, there were four Neighborhood Associations that worked for and supported the proposed change to the city ordinance that would give us the opportunity to establish Residential Neighborhood Conservation Districts. At last count, there were enough property owners who thought the RNC rezoning ordinance was a good idea and had signed petitions, so that in excess of 2000 properties have been rezoned. I certainly realize that not all of these are Mary Kaye Moore supporters, but 66% or more of them do support the idea that I, and others, appeared before Planning and Zoning and the City Council to get passed.
I've no doubt that The Eagle is backing Mark Conlee for Mayor of Bryan. I do feel that if the only way the newspaper and their employees can feel they are giving him an advantage in the mayoral race is to make it sound as if Mary Kaye Moore's only supporters are troublemakers and rabble-rousers, then I feel extremely sorry for all of you employed by our local newspaper. I, likewise, pity those of us whose only choice in a local newspaper is The Eagle.
I would like you to know, also, that Mike Southerland is one of the most dedicated, selfless individuals that I have had the pleasure of knowing. The “job” you and The Eagle did on him in the article today (April 27, 2007) was shameful and I hope the citizens of the City of Bryan recognize that fact."
This email was sent to the Eagle after the April 27, 2007 article attacking the supporters of Mary Kaye Moore. Whether it will be printed is anyone's guess.
Courage and Persistence
I know how difficult it is to fly an airplane. I used to fly a Cessna 152 Aerobat. Flying a helicopter is twice as hard. Flying a helicopter in a combat zone would be unimaginable for the average person. Have you seen Mike Southerland's resume on the City's website? (http://www.bryantx.gov/departments/?name=council-southerland) "While in Vietnam, he logged more than 600 combat hours as a helicopter pilot." The bumper sticker on Councilman Southerland's car says it all -- "Service Above Self."
In any normal community, this man would be respected as the true hero that he is, and honored for his service to our country. Have you asked yourself why the Eagle continues to spin stories about him which are intended to damage his reputation, portraying him as an obstructionist, instead of the Councilman who is committed to listening to the needs of the average citizen? Why did our only local newspaper not report on the numerous people who spoke at a council meeting, praising Councilman Southerland for his willingness to help them? Do the needs and opinions of over 1,200 people who voted for him not count? Didn't they send a message loud and clear by voting him into office?
Mike Southerland is one of the most honest people I have ever had the privilege of knowing. His unquestionable integrity and commitment to the well-being of our community is a gift for which we should all be thankful. There is a black cloud hanging over this city, and if our leaders continue to attack good people who are trying to do the right thing, then may God help us all.
Vivian A. Schroeder
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