Letter: Thompson’s tone unbecoming of public official

I would like to congratulate Richland Mayor Bob Thompson for his spectacularly condescending and arrogant performance at the recent League of Women Voters candidate forum.

I’m willing to concede that many of the contentious issues the Richland City Council has dealt with in the last few years may be complicated, with no clear-cut answer. But Thompson’s answers to the forum questions offered no sympathy to those struggling to understand the City Council’s decisions, and its terrible ability to communicate to and solicit feedback from the community that is affected by their decisions.

Instead of being straightforward and honest with his audience, Thompson proceeded to call them, essentially, ignorant and lazy, and treat them as if they didn’t deserve deeper knowledge into the council’s decisions. His tone was confrontational and defensive, and wholly unbecoming of a public official.

I believe that informed decision-making is the cornerstone of proper governance. And I might have come to understand the Duportail Bridge and Public Market decisions more completely if the council had bothered to do more community outreach regarding them.

In Richland we need elected officials who take their constituents seriously. I haven’t decided who I’m voting for yet, but it certainly won’t be Thompson.

This story was originally published July 20, 2017 at 7:43 PM with the headline "Letter: Thompson’s tone unbecoming of public official."