Letters policy
We welcome letters, but please include your full name, address and a daytime
telephone number. We edit all letters for libel, length and clarity.
Send letters to: Letters, Illinois Times. P.O. Box 5256. Springfield, Illinois
62705. Fax: (217) 753-3958. E-mail: editor@illinoistimes.com
DAVLIN: I NEED AN ASSISTANT
I take issue with last week’s article written by Dusty Rhodes regarding the inclusion of an executive assistant’s position in the new city budget [see “Fresh Ink,” Jan. 6-12]. Changing the structure of city government to be more responsive to the needs of our residents is important to all of us. To relate this change to my first day on the job is inappropriate because that discussion is no longer relevant. We have all seen that the office structure utilized by previous mayors is not appropriate for me. I think my nearly two years as mayor proves that point rather well.
Because there was no substance for a story without it, Ms. Rhodes decided to focus the discussion on personalities and not positions. She relied upon her “gut feeling” rather than her reportorial expertise, which should include an unbiased and objective approach. Ms. Rhodes did not display common courtesy or reasonableness in seeking a response to complex questions in order to include both sides of the story. Allow me to explain.
Late in the day on Tuesday, when I was fully engrossed in City Council preparations, I received an e-mail from Ms. Rhodes listing six questions, all of which needed time to evaluate before responses could be given. There was no mention of a deadline and no reference to needing the information in less than 24 hours. On Wednesday, my schedule was fully booked, from 8 a.m. through 9 p.m. I did not respond to most e-mail and many phone calls on either day because of my busy schedule. On Thursday, I read that “Davlin and his communications director have ignored my request for clarification.” We did not ignore the questions. We were too busy to answer them immediately. Answers would have been forthcoming, had Ms. Rhodes waited instead of writing only a portion of the story.
I can understand the publication of a news story that contains only one side of the issue, because it has happened before. This is nothing new. What I don’t understand is why the reporter did not telephone me or confront me at City Council to clarify that she was on deadline and needed immediate answers. I was on deadline, too. But I guess that really doesn’t matter.
Printing a partial story is a disservice to your readers, and a disservice to the residents of Springfield. Because she had no response from me, Ms. Rhodes decided to divorce herself from objective reporting and believe what she felt in her gut. She went on to hypothesize about what might have been the case, when, in fact, she hypothesized wrong. By fabricating the statement that it
wasn’t about my management style, Ms. Rhodes took herself out of the realm of objective reporting and into the realm of being a participant in the story. In so doing, she expanded the notion that good government cannot be good for the community if she doesn’t agree with what is being done. That is not an appropriate position for a reporter to take.
The creation of the position of executive assistant is not related to any one person. There are times when I need an assistant who can move forward on projects on my behalf. As the city’s activities increase because of more complex issues, more time needs to be spent on each issue. Having a “go-to” person would be advantageous. In fact, had there been an executive assistant who could have handled some of the issues that I dealt with last Wednesday, I might have had sufficient time to respond to Ms. Rhodes’ e-mail.
An executive assistant is not a chief of staff. When a chief of staff is appointed, directors answer to that person. They report directly to the chief of staff and rarely discuss issues with the elected official, be it the mayor or governor. I have said repeatedly that I do not want information filtered, that I want direct access to my directors and I want them to have direct access to me.
On the other hand, an executive assistant who can carry out my wishes and provide direction and management on special projects would greatly help in the operation of municipal government.
I have structured the mayor’s office to operate differently than my predecessors operated it, and it seems to be working quite well. That is why I do not have a chief of staff.
I expect to take criticism for my decisions when the criticism is warranted. In this case, when someone from the fifth estate steps over the line and into the story, we all lose. The story becomes personal opinion and is not reflective of the facts. That is unfortunate.
Timothy J. Davlin, mayor
Springfield
To read Dusty Rhodes’ column, “Mother always said,” click
here.
SEVEN YEARS BEHIND THE TIMES
Tom Irwin [“Now Playing,” Dec. 30] and Erica Marquardt [“Letters,” Jan. 6] effectively highlight the Springfield thought police’s efforts to keep youth out of well-organized, secure, drug-free musical facilities and instead confine them to their basements, unsupervised and left to their own devices. The effect of prohibition will doubtlessly see our “hopes for the future” hitting the downtown music venues at age 21 like the bull in the proverbial china shop — urinating in the alleys as they leave!
Well-intentioned Springfieldians have waxed poetic for years about “the scene” and, more important, the lack thereof. The fact remains that this is a small town, and apathy toward original music is the No. 1 reason behind an ailing scene. Tragically, Springfield’s majority is culturally fulfilled by strip malls, reality television, cigarettes, and overeating. Therefore I feel that Breadstretchers, the Hilton, and Café Kanichi-wa are about all Springfield is capable of sustaining for live, original, contemporary, and vital music.
Also, despite a few “flowers in the dustbin,” Springfield bands don’t seem to value the concept of originality. Instead, it’s about “being cool” and the almighty dollar. Content to bask in the glory of a tavern (where girlfriends, office buddies, and a few stragglers equal a full house), bands fight to become the next Pantera, Dave Matthews, or Ryan Adams despite the fact the record industry has already reached its quota. Hence Springfield remains, by my estimate, seven years behind the times.
Chuck Nolan
Springfield
AMERICANS ARE LIKE THAT
President George W. Bush has enlisted his father and Bill Clinton to raise funds for the tsunami-relief effort from corporations and wealthy individuals. During an interview of the two former presidents, Clinton said that he did not want to waste one moment defending the United States with regard to its response to the disaster. The focus, he said, should be on determining how best to help the victims and doing it. His comment was dead-on.
Soon after announcing a pledge of $35 million in aid, the United States was accused by a United Nations official of reacting slowly and being less than generous. Here at home, some critics lamented that we were missing an opportunity to gain favor with Muslim peoples. I am no friend of the Bush administration, but both charges are pure sheepdip.
To those who think that the United States should use this tragic event as an occasion to buy the friendship of people who consider us their enemy, I say: For shame! It won’t work. Worse, that attitude has the rank smell of political opportunism.
The United States has a long history of reaching out — regardless of political affiliation — to countries coping with devastating circumstances. The dollar amount of our initial pledge has already increased tenfold. That may well be equaled by the expense of our military assistance, and the long-term total will surely be far more.
Early indications are that the scope of this tragedy will prompt individual Americans to give of themselves and their resources more than they ever have given in past disasters. They will do it for people who cannot say a personal thank-you. They will do it because it is the right thing to do. Americans are like that.
Dan McGuire
Bensenville
ELECTORAL IRONY
Congress last week met in a joint session to affirm the election results from the 2004 presidential election. It is surely an irony that our elected leaders called for all votes to be counted in Ukraine but will not call for all votes to be counted in our own country.
Allan Stevo
Bratislava, Slovakia
(formerly of Blue Island, Ill.)
COMMODITY CUTS HURT HUNGRY
There are 750 U.S. Department of Agriculture commodities food pantries in the state of Illinois. In 2004, 20 pantries shut down because of a cutback in the program. This hurts farmers because the federal government isn’t buying as much food from them.
In the next two years, the federal government may try to phase out the commodities program entirely. This would be a huge mistake. For 70 years, this program has helped farmers by providing food to help low-income families and many senior citizens on fixed incomes.
George Culley
Pinckneyville
WHAT ABOUT DISASTER IN IRAQ?
The International Red Cross has estimated that the earthquake-tsunami disaster has taken upwards of 117,000 lives. The international community, including the United States, immediately stepped up and pledged medicines, manpower, and money to alleviate the suffering of affected peoples on the Indian Ocean rim.
The IRC has also estimated that more than 100,000 Iraqi men, women, and children have been killed in a war initiated by George W. Bush over weapons of mass destruction that did not exist. Yet American companies closely connected to Vice President Dick Cheney collect millions of dollars that could have been spent to provide humanitarian aid and to provide employment to Iraqis to rebuild the infrastructure that was destroyed by U.S. troops.
I find it very difficult to understand the president’s line of reasoning in making the distinction between the natural disaster on the Indian Ocean rim and the Iraqi disaster that is of his own making.
Charles P. Skibbens
Decatur
POWER TO THE PEOPLE
Because the Springfield power plant is municipally owned, we taxpayers and ratepayers should be allowed to vote on whether or not spend $400 million (or more) of our tax dollar on yet another possible fiasco!
Donald E. Palmer
Springfield
This article appears in Jan 13-19, 2005.
