Letter: Kennewick needs a course correction

Four days have passed since Councilman Parks made his ill-fated comments in the most public of forums.

Four days I waited patiently for some semblance of contrition, an ounce of remorse, or perhaps a glimmer of humility that would suggest that if even for a moment — Mr. Parks had realized that his actions had far reaching and negative impacts on our region, our city and the very citizens he took an oath to represent.

In each of those four days, a new post, a media rebuttal, a defiant stance against anyone who would dare to offer criticism — pertinent in that I have no doubt that I have witnessed in 4 short days the very real and unfettered personal and professional opinions of one of my elected officials.

Unfortunately for Mr. Parks, elected officials and most certainly non-partisan city council members are not afforded the luxury of representing only the citizens they happen to agree with.

Public dissension is not the enemy of a civic body. That collective voice is the very barometer by which course and heading changes are plotted, and it has been increasingly clear over the last 4 days that a course correction is overdue.

This story was originally published March 29, 2016 at 6:05 PM with the headline "Letter: Kennewick needs a course correction."