Editorial: Thumbs up, Thumbs down
The memory of a great man
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson
We don’t know if the late CJ Mitchell ever heard or read this quote, but it’s obvious these principles guided his life.
And the lives of many are better off for it.
Mitchell, a long-time Tri-Citian was most widely known for his involvement in the local sports community. For decades he served our youth as a sports official and coach and through that venue touched many, many lives in a positive way.
At one time or another, he was also a chairman of the Richland Human Rights review Board, a trustee at Columbia Basin College, a member of the Kadlec Medical Center board of directors, president of the African American Community Cultural and Educational Society, an organization he co-founded, and a 42-year member of the Richland Kiwanis Club.
A Facebook post by CBC on Monday said, “CJ was selected as the 1997 CBC Outstanding Alumnus and awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Spirit Award in 1998. But the most important trait of CJ Mitchell — everyone he met was a friend.”
Sunday, at the age of 84, he left us. We all lost a friend, whether we knew him personally or not.
D+ grade in integrity
Last year, the state of Washington received a D+ grade by the Center for Public Integrity after it conducted a “state integrity investigation.”
We got failing grades in public access to information and executive accountability.
The State Civil Service Management, Lobbying Disclosure and Judicial Accountability received D- rating.
Legislators in Olympia have much to deal with during this brief legislative session so it’s doubtful they will have the time to take meaningful corrective action in these areas even if they wanted to.
We haven’t seen a lot of evidence that they do. Let’s hope they make it a priority in the next session.
This story was originally published January 27, 2016 at 5:14 PM with the headline "Editorial: Thumbs up, Thumbs down."