The May 28 Idyllwild Fire Commission meeting was frightening. Instead of addressing the district\u2019s financial condition, the commission, employees and audience spent hours castigating Commissioner Chip Schelly for his May 23 letter to the editor.<\/p>\n
All of the speakers were appalled at Schelly\u2019s comments because they inferred he was speaking for the board. But he wasn\u2019t and nowhere in the letter did it say that.<\/p>\n
Below his name was his title, \u201cFire Commissioner,\u201d which I placed there for the reader\u2019s benefit. Both Fire Chief Patrick Reitz and Capt. Mark LaMont agree with using his title in that situation.<\/p>\n
Reitz addressed former Commissioner Ben Killingsworth as \u201ccommissioner\u201d and explained that once the title is earned it goes forward. Schelly is a fire commissioner.<\/p>\n
Disagreeing with Schelly\u2019s comments is anyone\u2019s right, but demanding his resignation because they disagree is making a mountain out of molehill and silly.<\/p>\n
Because he is a fire commissioner, he does not forfeit his right to free speech. And here\u2019s what some others have said about this concept, embedded in our First Amendment:<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter,\u201d said President George Washington.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear,\u201d said George Orwell, author of \u201c1984.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is easy to believe in freedom of speech for those with whom we agree,\u201d from actor Leo McKern.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public,\u201d said President Theodore Roosevelt.<\/p>\n
James Madison fought lengthy battles to ensure that freedom of speech was included in the orignal Bill of Rights. It\u2019s the minority\u2019s voice that needs protection, not the majority.<\/p>\n
I might add that every speaker accused Schelly of uttering falsehoods and scurlious comments. And, the three employee associations \u2014 career, reserve and volunteer \u2014 all submitted identical letters. No independent thinking was shown.<\/p>\n
More interesting, while defending LaMont from \u201cfalsehoods,\u201d they stated Schelly violated commission policy 4060. Perhaps I don\u2019t have the current version of this policy. My version of 4060 is entitled \u201cStanding Committees.\u201d Each commissioner has a binder of policies in front of them during the meeting but none would publicly correct the staff. Shame on Schelly for violating this policy. <\/p>\n
LaMont devotes a tremendous amount of time and effort to the fire department and has for years. We should acknowledge that. But we might question why he earns nearly 40 percent (nearly $58,000) of all the department\u2019s overtime pay. Certainly he must perform well and is needed.<\/p>\n
Yet if this work, especially all the mutual aid assignments, are necessary and helpful for gaining firefighting experience, why don\u2019t the other three captains participate? Collectively, all three earned less overtime than LaMont alone. If they did more, LaMont would have more time to be with his family. \t<\/p>\n
The commission\u2019s time devoted to this issue is an unecessary diversion from its responsibilities to assure the district\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
Also, some have asked why letters from Idyllwild Water Director Mike Freitas don\u2019t identify him as a director. Simply because these letters don\u2019t deal with water district issues, such as the recent rate increase. His letters touch on other subjects, such as Idyllwild Pines and even IFPD. And when he did write about County Service Area 36, I identified him as a committee member.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The May 28 Idyllwild Fire Commission meeting was frightening. Instead of addressing the district\u2019s financial condition, the commission, employees and audience spent hours castigating Commissioner Chip Schelly for his May 23 letter to the editor. All of the speakers were appalled at Schelly\u2019s comments because they inferred he was speaking for the board. But he […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":58,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"amp_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n