Last night council and those in attendance were treated to a lecture by former councilmember McAlindin on “optics”, a fancy politician’s word for public perception. Mr. McAlindin offered up his take on the public, read residents’, perception of Chief William’s salary and the possible hiring of his son to our police force. Mr. McAlindin made the entirely misleading assertion that our chief is overpaid. He also made the “suggestion” that council consider an ordinance that prevent Chief William’s son or any relative of an active municipal employee from being hired by our town. Mr. McAlindin came to lecture on “optics” then proceeded to perform a rather fantastical illusion-he made the truth disappear. Mr. McAlindin as a former councilmember should know full well that Chief Williams has been paid $1 more than his previous salary as captain for more than a year now as his contract remains unsettled. I am also surprised that as a lawyer whose resume includes Employment, Civil Rights, and Election Law that he would not understand that any ordinance put forth by our council in regards to hiring practices would not supercede Civil Service protocol?
The truth is that he does know this, and his statements to council and most importantly the audience and press were “optics”, a performance, a show, where he acts as an impartial and wise old sage with the best of intentions. In fact Civil Service was designed with situations exactly like ours in mind so that the public might take comfort in the fairness and impartiality of the process and that political influence would be kept as minimal as possible. If there is any misunderstanding among the people of our community about the current state of public safety, the misleading information has not come from the officers in question or the PBA as our former councilmember suggests, or as our local papers portray. I was very glad to watch Chief Williams, our PBA president, and a resident I didn’t know stand up and speak out against accusations so casually made. This is the script handed down from our governor: the financial apocalypse was perpetrated by the teachers that help shape our children and families, the police, fire and rescue who risk their lives every day, and the public employees that perform duties that the rest of us aren’t exactly clammering to fulfill.
Why the war between the public and private sectors? In politics it’s part of “creating a narrative”. The best way to convince the public of a political stance or platform is to craft a story. The most important part of the story is the “enemy”, a person or group that is doing harm or preventing good. Then you collect evidence that supports this and discard that which does not. For a simple example, don’t ever believe a newspaper article that only cites one source like a few I’ve read recently. The story being read to our residents tells not of years of bad management and reckless spending, but of our greedy friends and neighbors who live off the sweat of our brows and the fat off our backs. You all know these “enemies”, ask them what’s really going on. Don’t take anyone’s word for it including mine.
The best place in the world, other than this blog, to find completely one sided and unsubstantiated claims is the “Letters To The Editor” section of any paper. As I’ve said before, I keep finding my name all over letters from people I’ve never met that claim to know a lot about me. I hear also that one of my council opponents, who must have experience as a miner considering how much digging he seems to do, took great interest in the details of my vacation to Oregon. Let me say right now before the contrary appears in a “Letter To The Editor” that my trip with my wife was an anniversary gift from my father, step-mother, and grandmother, and that no tax payer dollars were spent for my enjoyment during the first vacation she and I have ever taken in ten years.
That unfortunately is the goal of “optics”, it’s an illusion, a deception, like a prism that divides light rather than a lens which brings it into focus.
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