Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

The report of the December 3 Ritzville City Council in The Journal could have and should have read differently.

The council member who first presented the case for hiring of a new police officer was not mentioned. That presentation was a major part of the council discussion. She made clear that police protection is a primary purpose of government, so if a new officer was justified as the council seem to agree, then that hiring should take priority over the expenditures for purposes not so dear.

Given the extensive coverage of the topic in The Journal, the coverage of that meeting was seriously deficient.

From time to time citizens and visitors to Ritzville contribute to city council meetings. Several months ago there was a serious and somewhat heated discussion between a citizen of Ritzville and members of the city council. The subject was contracts for city services. Not a word of this discussion found its way into the report of that meeting in The Journal. At the December 3 council meeting, a citizen reminded members of the city council of their obligations to provide appropriate police protection. Once again, regarding citizen input, The Journal was silent.

Barry Boyer, Ritzville