Heads in the Sand

At Thursday's regularly scheduled council meeting, Lt. Keith Rowan of the Buckhannon police department, delivered a well prepared and passionate statement, rebutting reports printed in the Buckhannonn 2015 report. Keith was concerned that some sections were personally directed toward him and not true and asked that the disputed sections be investigated. Well done Keith! More people should stand up and say exactly what they believe.

What city council did in response to Keith's statement was to call for removal of the Buckhannon 2015 report from the city website with no investigation what so ever into Keith's claims. By council burying their heads in the sand, they have done a disservice to any city employee who has a complaint. Let's just make the report or issue disappear and all will be well. I have a printed copy and CD version of the Buckhannon 2015 report in my possession and I wonder if city council will order house searches? Will we be publicly forced to come together and burn our copies? This kind of emotional response from council is not always the best path to follow.

How about this for a response:

Lt. Rowan we thank you for your years of service and we take your statement seriously. We want to get to the bottom of this issue quickly. We will form an investigation committee made up of one member of the police force, city council, Buckhannon 2015 committee, the police civil service board, West Virginia Wesleyan College and a community member at large appointed by the Chamber of Commerce. We will ask this committee to thoroughly investigate the findings in the Buckhannon 2015 report and any findings not substantiated, should be withdrawn. Further, if an apology is warranted it should be forthcoming. I would also request the committee have results within a specified period of time not to exceed 30 days. If I were Lt. Rowan, I would want a full investigation of the issues and my name fully exonerated. The only action taken by council was to remove the Buckhannon 2015 plan from the website and start a review of the Buckhannon 2015 plan by council. The Buckhannon 2015 plan was submitted to council in April 2009. Lt. Rowan's key issue for an investigation, in my opinion, was side stepped by council.

The Buckhannon 2015 report has a wealth of information about the growth of Buckhannon and ideas to make our city prosper in the future. I question removing this report from public circulation and review. Is this a breech of our constitutional rights?