PEA RIDGE — Citizen expresses concerns

Dear Editor of the Pea Ridge Times,

It’s very disturbing about the council person that was allowed to leave a public meeting. First if the chief of police or mayor knew or had any reason to think that the council member had been in no condition to drive, the correct thing to have done would have been to ask the council member to call someone to pick him up.

The chief of police could have offered himself or had one of his deputies take the council member home. The chief of police and/or the mayor allowed this person to get behind the wheel and back on the streets. The council member could have killed himself, someone else or caused property damage.

If the council member had been drinking, he was in the wrong, but two wrongs do not make a right. Our chief of police is a paid employee of the city and should know better. That is what leads me to believe this is a set up. Our chief of police is paid to “Serve and Protect”; this was not done.

If the mayor suspected the council member had been drinking, he could have suggested that the chief of police take the council member home. This would have been a much more professional way to handle this situation.

The mayor needs to let the chief of police go fire him, release him from his duties - whatever you want to call it. The chief of police did not perform his duties. He and his department directly put citizens in harms way.

To the chief of police, you have lost your credibility in this town. This is not the only incident that has brought your practices in to question.

To the mayor, you are in charge of this city, and you don’t work for the chief of police. If you can’t do this, you need to resign, or at least not run for re-election.

Please just do your job!

Sincerely,

GLENN BOONE, CONCERNED CITIZEN

Pea Ridge, Ark.

Opinion, Pages 4 on 04/07/2010