I admit that I committed a horrible mistake by attending the Town Council meeting of October 11. Yes, I confess that I did know the agenda prior to attending with the full understanding that my blood pressure would boil, friends would swear and I would have to pray that heart attack number 3 would not occur. Did I think that things could get ugly? For one who stands for freedom of speech and the pursuit of happiness (you’ll see why in a bit) it was one of the most disappointing council meetings that I have attended.

Make no error in judgment on the fact that some citizens want more time to debate over agenda items at these council meetings. We ask only for accountability while being plastered with hostility and outright tyranny. We, the citizens of Windham, elect our Town Council and hold them 100 percent responsible for their actions or their lack thereof. The first example is when a former town councilor mentioned the fact (that I firmly believe in) that a two-tier property tax system allows a heavier tax burden on nonresidents than residents. A councilor then proclaimed that is unfair under Maine’s Constitution. Well dear councilor, did you ever try to change the state’s constitution to lessen the tax burden on Mainers when you had a chance?

If citizens are not given the chance to converse with our councilors, who will? Do councilors believe that we should sit there like bumps on a log and listen to nothing but their sometimes less than witty discussions? In order to represent us, the councilors must allow us to enter into discussions about agenda items. If no discussions can occur beyond the measly three minutes shouldn’t we just change our form of government into a true democracy? Although it could be less costly, it certainly would take a longer period of time to accomplish things, maybe!

What really rips me is the comments by the Council Chairperson on that Tuesday evening. This is not a quote but I am reasonably sure I’m close enough for government work. He stated it’s his house and his rules. He doesn’t want us to have the freedom to speak when we feel necessary and I gather the reasoning is a longer town council meeting. Too flipping bad, Mr. Chairperson!

If you don’t want to be there any longer than you deem necessary, then you don’t need to be there in the first place. And it is not your house and your rules, there are Council Rules for the councilors to follow. Rules which, by the way, impose more restrictions on the citizens than councilors.

I also see nothing improper when a citizen states that councilors past votes will be made public if and when those councilors choose to run again. Note that I stated citizen, not a council candidate during election time. That is how our political system works and it is not a threat as it is the truth. Any politician that fears his/her record will be exposed has a serious problem.

And the Chevrolet Suburban to be used as a “show-case” vehicle for the DARE program, have fun driving it. Just the news article that it has been approved has caused considerable negative response from citizens against the Police Department, School Department and Town of Windham.

Have fun with it. Really, I mean it. It will be one of the most observed vehicles in Windham and so easy to spot. I recently requested information under Maine’s Privacy Act on the cost of the fire chief’s pickup. This is not about the fire chief. We are lucky to have such a good citizen for our chief. We only were privy to the cost of the vehicle and saw nothing as to the cost of the stenciling, emergency lights, siren, radio, fiberglass lid on the bed, etc. That cost approaches $10,000. So how were the extras financed with no public participation by the Council? Maybe we need a briefing each week on the funds expended by the Town Manager or at least a handout.

It will be interesting to see what extras cost on the Suburban.

Last, but certainly not least, isn’t it nice the council listens to complaints from its citizens? Some might, but a couple certainly left the council meeting in a severe state of disgust.

Has the time finally arrived to amend our Town Charter? I firmly believe that the point in time has arrived when changes are necessary to the charter that grant the powers back to the people, not elected or appointed officials. More on that later!

Will I ever see you at a council meeting?

“If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be.” Thomas Jefferson said that.