HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-09-20 Public Comment - S. Straub - Sorrow mingled with prideFrom:Sherry Staub
To:Agenda
Subject:Sorrow mingled with pride
Date:Wednesday, September 9, 2020 8:18:12 AM
I can't count how many times I have bragged to friends and neighbors about how proud I am
to be a Bozeman resident, in part, because of how well-run our community is. I have sung thepraises of Mayor Mehl and all of the other commissioners over and over again.
I signed on to the web-x special meeting last night to listen and learn. I had read some of the
allegations and had also heard "through the grapevine"....of Mayor Mehl's hard nose approachto running the city. Hard-nosed is not necessarily a bad thing... but the heart-breaking
allegations and first hand accounts of Mayor Mehl's behavior goes beyond high expectationsof a staff....it is systematic bullying that belies an underlying disregard for professional and
personal behavior. Seeing both Commissioner Cunningham and Deputy Mayor Andrusbrought almost to tears in their request for Mayor Mehl to resign convinced me that this was
no personal vendetta against the mayor. I can't imagine the courage it took for them topublicly recount incident after incident of this kind of behavior by someone they regarded as a
mentor and friend. While Commissioner Wallner didn't explicitly request the mayor resign...he did say that he
essentially asked him to do so in a phone call prior to the meeting. The 4th Commissioner,Pomeroy, did publicly call for his resignation. This means the entire Commission has lost
faith in his leadership. Now it's time for the Mayor to show the same kind of courage that the Commissioners
have....and resign. Please, please do not put the community through the financial andemotional burden of an investigation.
I'm all for "due process"....but regardless the outcome of such an investigation...it's clear thatthe commissioners and staff will be under "undue" stress and anxiety during and after....with a
likely parade of additional resignations by city staff. There's no question Mayor Mehl loves the community....we're just asking you don't love us to
death. Be brave, Mayor Mehl. Do the right thing.We will all respect and thank you for it.
Sincerely,Sherry Staub
1167 Saxon WayBozeman, Mt 59718