WCMessenger.com: Inside Wise

Best line of the day ...

It took a political newcomer to come up with the best line of the first of three candidate forums.

Derek Walls, who is running as a Democratic candidate for commissioner in Precinct 2, gets points for his words at the Chico Chamber of Commerce forum earlier this week.

His opponent, Vic Czerniak, complained about the washboard nature of his county road. "You can see my road on the dashboard of my car," Czerniak said.

In his response a few minutes later, Walls had some advice for Czerniak.

"I keep the windows up on my car," Walls said.

"That was the best line of the day," said Kevin Burns, the Republican incumbent, who was sitting next to Walls.

Reporter, Reporter, Go Away, and Don't Come Back ... Any Other Day ...

Here we go again. Another civics lesson for those in government.

Dig: Whether you are the school system, county commission or city hall, you're accountable to the public. One way for those bodies to communicate information about their business is through the media.

(In Wise County, that's the Messenger, the Index, the Gazette and the Texan.)

Most officials from schools, cities and tax-supported entities in Wise County understand this. They return calls in a timely fashion and answer questions, simple or complicated.

Thursday, though, an employee at Chico City Hall apparently didn't get the memo about public service.

When Reporter Don Munsch called to ask about getting a report from the Chico City Council meeting Tuesday, he was advised by a female that city hall didn't perform such a service. When he shifted emphasis somewhat and said he just needed to ask some questions about the meeting, he was rebuffed again. The employee didn't seem to be in the mood to offer him any recourse, so he asked for the mayor's name and later left him a message at his residence.

The employee needs to understand that a call from the reporter is not a nuisance, such as a sales call. We can only imagine how residents might be treated. She should receive better training on business protocol, whether it concerns a reporter or a resident.

Skirting the issue...

If Thursday night's meeting was any indication, the Rhome City Council might be trying to skirt putting jobs out for bids.

When it was discovered that the cost of one of the city's pet projects would go over the spending limit, the council decided to split the project so that the parts could be approved separately - despite advice from the mayor and others.

It just so happens the local contractor who would be awarded the job is buddies with one of the councilmen and has done personal work for his family.

We're all for taking care of your own, but we're more for abiding by the law. It's set up for a reason.