July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Dunkirk woman upset about council member (04/25/07)
Letter to the Editor
To the editor:
This letter is being submitted in regards to a large miscarriage of justice. Please understand this letter is not a personal vendetta against any or all of our current local government officials.
On March 26, I attended a city council meeting in Dunkirk and heard discussion regarding the possible lease and usage by the city for the Depot building that is currently owned by the Dunkirk Industrial Development Corporation.
Mayor Sam Hubbard then asked councilman Tom Johnson to head up a committee to get public input on ideas on how the city could utilize this building and retain it in our community. Councilman Johnson agreed to form a committee of interested parties to get ideas to bring back to the city council.
As soon as the meeting ended, I approached councilman Johnson and asked him to be on this committee as I and my husband, Tony, both are very interested in this building and have worked hard the past year to raise public awareness of the history of the Depot.
We both dedicated our personal time and effort to cleaning the Depot inside as well as hosting several public events during the holidays and concerts for the public.
Councilman Johnson said for me to "tell Sam," referring to Mayor Hubbard, that I wanted to be on this committee. I then approached Mayor Hubbard and told him the same thing and asked to be included on this committee. Mayor Hubbard told me that was fine with him, to just let Tom know. I again approached Councilman Johnson to tell him of the conversation with Mayor Hubbard, and he said that was fine, he would let me know when they formed the committee.
On April 9, I was unable to attend the city council meeting. However, it was observed by all present that councilman Johnson made the statement that he was forming the committee and that no members of the current Dunkirk Improvement Committee would be on this committee. Mayor Hubbard questioned councilman Johnson on that statement that no members of the Improvement Committee would be on this committee, to which councilman Johnson replied that was correct and that he wanted fresh perspectives or ideas from this committee. Not once did councilman Johnson call me to tell me first-hand that I was unwelcome on this committee. While I was absent at a conference later that week, he even went so far as to contact one of my associates to ask for participation on this committee.
When I left work on Monday, April 16, I noticed a large gathering of cars at the Depot building. I phoned councilman Johnson's home to inquire as to the activities in progress and was told that Tom's committee was meeting. When I questioned if this was the Depot committee, I was told yes, that it was Tom's hand-picked committee of taxpayers.
This meeting was not posted; it was not publicized, nor were any interested members of the public allowed to attend. This was a very personally picked committee of one government official.
In my opinion, the United States of America governmental entities all are supposed to function under the same inalienable rights of by the people and for the people. When one government official, whether it is nationally, statewide, or local decides that any member of the community is not important enough or is unwelcome to a publicly-formed committee, this is a violation of these rights.
My family and I moved to Dunkirk in 1994 to live in a small town atmosphere and have been paying all of this time. Why I am not considered a taxpayer, I am unsure, or if I'm being excluded because of my past involvement in community activities. However, in contacting the State Board of Accounts and also the Public Access Counselor, I have found out that due to the fact that this councilman was asked by the mayor and not by the president of the city council to head up this committee, they have narrowly escaped being in violation of the Open Door policy.
While legally there is no recourse at this time for these insulting and debasing actions, there certainly is a need to make the public aware of them. I feel personally insulted by and ashamed of the actions from one person, whom I once considered an upright citizen representing my and other taxpayers' interests in our local government. I hope in the future actions of our local government that "all men are created equal" will be applied to everyone, not just a chosen few.
Sincerely,
Ailesia Franklin
Dunkirk[[In-content Ad]]
This letter is being submitted in regards to a large miscarriage of justice. Please understand this letter is not a personal vendetta against any or all of our current local government officials.
On March 26, I attended a city council meeting in Dunkirk and heard discussion regarding the possible lease and usage by the city for the Depot building that is currently owned by the Dunkirk Industrial Development Corporation.
Mayor Sam Hubbard then asked councilman Tom Johnson to head up a committee to get public input on ideas on how the city could utilize this building and retain it in our community. Councilman Johnson agreed to form a committee of interested parties to get ideas to bring back to the city council.
As soon as the meeting ended, I approached councilman Johnson and asked him to be on this committee as I and my husband, Tony, both are very interested in this building and have worked hard the past year to raise public awareness of the history of the Depot.
We both dedicated our personal time and effort to cleaning the Depot inside as well as hosting several public events during the holidays and concerts for the public.
Councilman Johnson said for me to "tell Sam," referring to Mayor Hubbard, that I wanted to be on this committee. I then approached Mayor Hubbard and told him the same thing and asked to be included on this committee. Mayor Hubbard told me that was fine with him, to just let Tom know. I again approached Councilman Johnson to tell him of the conversation with Mayor Hubbard, and he said that was fine, he would let me know when they formed the committee.
On April 9, I was unable to attend the city council meeting. However, it was observed by all present that councilman Johnson made the statement that he was forming the committee and that no members of the current Dunkirk Improvement Committee would be on this committee. Mayor Hubbard questioned councilman Johnson on that statement that no members of the Improvement Committee would be on this committee, to which councilman Johnson replied that was correct and that he wanted fresh perspectives or ideas from this committee. Not once did councilman Johnson call me to tell me first-hand that I was unwelcome on this committee. While I was absent at a conference later that week, he even went so far as to contact one of my associates to ask for participation on this committee.
When I left work on Monday, April 16, I noticed a large gathering of cars at the Depot building. I phoned councilman Johnson's home to inquire as to the activities in progress and was told that Tom's committee was meeting. When I questioned if this was the Depot committee, I was told yes, that it was Tom's hand-picked committee of taxpayers.
This meeting was not posted; it was not publicized, nor were any interested members of the public allowed to attend. This was a very personally picked committee of one government official.
In my opinion, the United States of America governmental entities all are supposed to function under the same inalienable rights of by the people and for the people. When one government official, whether it is nationally, statewide, or local decides that any member of the community is not important enough or is unwelcome to a publicly-formed committee, this is a violation of these rights.
My family and I moved to Dunkirk in 1994 to live in a small town atmosphere and have been paying all of this time. Why I am not considered a taxpayer, I am unsure, or if I'm being excluded because of my past involvement in community activities. However, in contacting the State Board of Accounts and also the Public Access Counselor, I have found out that due to the fact that this councilman was asked by the mayor and not by the president of the city council to head up this committee, they have narrowly escaped being in violation of the Open Door policy.
While legally there is no recourse at this time for these insulting and debasing actions, there certainly is a need to make the public aware of them. I feel personally insulted by and ashamed of the actions from one person, whom I once considered an upright citizen representing my and other taxpayers' interests in our local government. I hope in the future actions of our local government that "all men are created equal" will be applied to everyone, not just a chosen few.
Sincerely,
Ailesia Franklin
Dunkirk[[In-content Ad]]
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