LETTER: Resident concerned about letter, Commissioner conduct
To the Editor,
Was the Granite County Attorney's open letter in the Philipsburg Mail to Mr Richard Motta (Aug 16, 2018) a letter of advice or more like a threat? Per the Editor's note, it was "copied to and reprinted with the author's permission". However, Mr Richard Motta has never received a copy, either by email or regular mail. Maybe, just an innocent oversight by the Granite County Board of Commissioners (GCBC) ?
So, who exactly came up with the idea of an "open letter"? Mr. Bradshaw, the County Attorney? Or was it at the suggestion and request of the GCBC ? By the way, the County Attorney is an elected public servant who serves ALL of Granite County, which includes you, me and Motta, not just at the "pleasure of" the GCBC. So if the "open letter" was at the GCBC request, then why didn't the upstanding reputable GCBC sign and send it? And just when and where was this all discussed and decided? Something else I missed on the GCBC Agenda?
Before reading the "open letter" in the Mail, I replied on my Face Book pages, due to several inquiries, that I had to reserve judgment of the letter until after I read it. I also received numerous calls and emails alerting me to the letter. I even commented that it sounds like Mr Bradshaw did Dick Motta a favor. For some reason, something about Marc Antony's famous oration, "I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him" sparked my memory.
In regards to Mr. Bradshaw's statement that Motta's "conclusions" ...are "false" and his letters are " damaging the credibility and reputations of the County Commissioners...", just those words alone indicate irony (maybe satire?) as we all know that two of those upstanding commissioners publicly admitted their guilt and apologized for poor decisions regarding misuse of public funds, public equipment and abuse of public trust in the infamous "Road to Nowhere" issue. An issue for which one of the two commissioners was charged and is facing a trial come this October. Makes you wonder why the other "guilty" Commissioner, wasn't also charged with "official misconduct".
In a February 6, 2018 Missoulian article, I was quoted as saying the following: “This is nothing new,” "I think it’s gotten worse because nobody is there to oversee what they do." and "Gagliano said she used to video-record commissioners' meetings to encourage accountability. Government transparency was a central issue in her campaign in 2014." https://missoulian.com/news/local/state-called-in-to-prosecute-granite-county-commissioner-case/article_1d1ab845-edf1-5e20-8d72-77a1d59b235b.html
In case you weren't aware, I have resumed electronically recording these meetings since October, 2017 (all unedited) as evidence showing exactly what takes place at these "public meetings" and how they're conducted.
As stated above, accountability and transparency are the reasons why I am recording GCBC meetings. And here, for you the Public, the employers, of these so called public servants, is the YouTube link to the Play list of the Granite County Commission and other GC Advisory board meetings: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UU7WHJPa46Oqxj_MMQLmkvj You may also find the Airport Board meeting and report to the GCBC of interest. In my opinion, Abbott & Costello's "Who's on First..." doesn't even come close to matching these two meetings.
Here's the bottom line. I'm a total believer in the Court of Public Opinion, the Citizen's Grand Jury so to speak. And so. I now leave it to you, the Public, the sovereigns, the tax payers, to whom all our public servants, elected or appointed must answer to and be accountable. Now it's in your court, your turn to "judge" what's the truth and what are lies. In the end only one question remains for you to answer: "Which side supports transparency and truth and which side doesn't?" Remember "Knowledge is Power as Silence is Consent".
E. Gagliano
Philipsburg Montana
NOTE - Letters to the Editor are expressly the opinion of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the FlintCreekCourier.com. They are run unedited except to remove any vulgar or other inappropriate language. Letters to the Editor will not print messages which, in the Editor's estimation, equate to advertisements or solicitations for businesses. All Letters to the Editor are run at the discretion of the Editor.
