We’re all entitled to vote our conscience
I’ve heard lots of things said in the Value Them Both debate, but one of the silliest things I’ve heard — and not just from Mr. Seaton — is that half of us are not qualified to have an opinion at all because the abortion decision “ought to be entirely up to women.” (“Why Do I Get A Say On Abortion?” July 13.) Certainly, not one of us can fully appreciate what another person experiences in life, especially in crisis, and often we cannot match others’ credentials, but when did this become disqualifying?
If Mr. Seaton feels unqualified on this issue because he’s a man, will he also avoid comment on sales tax initiatives because he’s not an economist? Will he similarly encourage those of us who aren’t professional educators to stay out of discussions on our public schools? Has he been mum about local mascots because he doesn’t have the “right” skin color? Will he avoid commenting on foreign policy because he’s not a diplomat? Or war, because he’s not a soldier?
The answer to those questions is, of course, “no.” Mr. Seaton has, like all good editorialists, listened, read and studied as best he can, then opined on these and many other issues. As it turns out, he did the same on Value Them Both in a separate editorial. His judgment may be wrong at times, as it is on Value Them Both, but that isn’t the same as being unqualified to participate.
Our job as members of the electorate — female and male, white, black or brown, on this and other complex issues — is no less than Mr. Seaton’s when editorializing. The Founding Fathers never assumed we would all have personal experience with every issue we, or our elected representatives, would encounter. Rather, they hoped we’d work to be informed and then vote our conscience. Be informed, vote your conscience, and no one can ever challenge your qualifications.
Jim MacGregor
Alta Vista
Parks and rec changes are alarming; commissioners must pay heed
Below is a letter I recently sent to the Manhattan City Commissioners.
My name is Phil Ryan and I am a lifelong Manhattan resident. I grew up in the Parks and Rec system in Manhattan. This once proud parks and rec department has been run into the ground the last few years, and it is time to start asking why?
The number of employees who have left in the last year alone is astonishing. With a full MPRD staff, there are 12 full-time employees. Currently there are four full-time employees with rumors of others trying to get out. At the MPRD board meeting last Monday, the question was brought up to the interim director of parks and rec, “Why do you believe so many employees have left MPRD over the last year?” The answer was skirted around, but eventually the answer that was given was that “most of the employees don’t believe in the direction that the parks and rec department is headed, and this is why they have left.”
I think the question now is, what is the direction of MPRD and who is making this decision?
What is being put out publicly and what is happening behind closed doors is two different things. Publicly, MPRD and the City offices are saying that they are trying to provide services for the Manhattan community.
The sad part is that this is not the truth. The long-term plan that they have been working on the last few years, is to privatize all youth sports. Parks and Rec staff have been this directly and that if you don’t agree with privatizing all youth sports then you need to find somewhere else to work. The city literally just wants to manage the facilities and have an outside party put on the programs. Is this what we are paying taxes for? Is this what we want for the youth of our community. Do we not want every kid in the community to have the opportunity to play in youth sports?
The city says that they have had a hard time hiring full and part time staff. I think there are a few different issues with this. In talking with multiple people close to the situation, I think the city is having a hard time hiring full-time staff due to a work culture that is toxic. I was told by a former employee that there were five different people set to interview for the recent opening for the assistant city manager job. All five of these candidates backed out of their interviews after talking with other people around the state about the Manhattan City offices and what is happening in these offices. It is known throughout the state that the City of Manhattan and
MPRD are not places that people want to go to work for. As proof of this, I had a letter forwarded to me from the Kansas Parks and Rec Association saying that they have been watching what has been going on in Manhattan the last few years and want to help because they have noticed how poorly run the department has been managed as well as a mismanagement of funds. When the Kansas Parks and Rec Association can see this from a distance, it makes me wonder what else could be going on inside the city management that people from the outside can’t see.
With the hiring of part time employees, such as referees and scorekeepers, my question is, what has MPRD done to try and hire these employees? Have they reached out to the local high schools and their athletic teams to see if kids would want to referee, umpire, or score keep?
Have they reached out to the greek community at Kansas State for these same jobs or to volunteer coach? To my knowledge they have not done any of this.
The MPRD says that there are budget issues. I am not sure how that can be the case this year, with seven less employees, a cut back in programs, and ball fields that have not been taken care of like they have in the past. Where is the money going? Why was there not an effort to raise sponsorships for youth sports like there have been in the past? In the last few years MPRD has made between $60,000-$80,000 in sponsorships, by just sending out letters to local companies.
What happened to sending out letters this year? I was told by a past employee that it was extremely easy to raise these funds and the community was extremely giving in sponsorship money in the past, but yet there was no effort this year to raise any of these funds. Does this make any sense?
Commissioners, please start asking these questions of the city staff.
1. Is MPRD’s/city manager’s office long term plan to privatize all youth sports and if so, why? This has been the plan, but maybe they are starting to change course a little bit because of the public backlash?
2. What has MPRD done to try and hire full time and part-time staff?
3. Why have so many employees (MPRD and City Staff) left over the last few years (many being long time employees)?
4. Talk to current and former MPRD employees and ask if there is a toxic work environment and ask for specifics of what has happened. ( I think you will be shocked at some of the things that have gone on in the City Managers offices, if these people are allowed to open up and share what has gone on).
5. Why did MPRD not try and raise sponsorship funds this year?
6. Has there been an independent audit done by an outside auditor not connected with the city? If so, why not? Doesn’t it make good business sense to have an outside person do the checks and balances here, when we are talking about the dealing of millions of dollars?
I am not one to sound alarm bells or constantly write in letters to the editor of The Mercury or to the city commissioners. The is the first time I have ever written the city commissioners in my 40 years of living in Manhattan. I feel passionately that change is needed, and therefore I felt this time I needed to step up to voice the concerns of many. This is not a case of one or two disgruntled employees or a few people in the community upset over what has been happening the last few years. There are serious wrongdoings that are happening in the City managers office that I beg you to look into and not be blinded by what 1 or 2 people are telling you.
There is still time to make these corrections and get the City and MPRD back on the right track to return our City offices and MPRD back to the proud programs that they used to be.
Phil Ryan
