Fortunately for Vancouver’s City Councilman, Pat Campbell, he is not up for reelection this term. Given some of his outbursts towards citizens, if he were he might find himself ousted easily.
I give Pat credit for being one of the few, if not only, council member who reads citizens blogs and letters to the editor and comments on occasion. In the past he has shown me that he cares what citizens are saying.
Something has happened to his demeanor, though as I have noticed his comments towards citizens have been getting derogatory if he disagrees with them.
I first came aware of Pat’s attitude last year from an email a friend received from Pat concerning I-409, the failed initiative on curbing Illegal Immigration in Washington. Pat assured me on my blog that it was just a joke and as happens to me, jokes are often taken serious.
Giving him the benefit of doubt, I accepted the reply knowing how my own dry sense of humor gets me in trouble from time to time.
However, some time later and completely out of the blue, he launched into another commenter with a totally unrelated comment to the subject.
Again, in an October 11 Columbian article, In our view: Pollard for Mayor, Pat came at me for speaking against the mayor and the budget deficit the city faces, telling me, “If you have paid off your mortgage then you might have a pebble or two to throw at city council Mr. Waters.”
That quip elicited the response from me of, “And no, I haven’t paid off my mortgage, but last I heard, voters still have the right to question the acts and conducts of our elected officials.”
He said nothing more to me on that.
However, the Saturday October 17 edition of the Columbian contains a letter to the editor from an 88 year-old Veteran who says he has not had his concerns on how the American Flag is flown at our Veterans Memorial against Army Regulations, in spite of asking Mayor Pollard about it for over a decade.
A decade mind you!
Pat’s outburst towards him is unbelievably rude and uncalled for. It is no doubt beneath the dignity of an elected official. It is a crude and disrespectful manner in which to address a citizen, especially an aging Veteran.
Why haven’t the concerns of Mr. Tharp been addressed in the 10 years he’s been asking? Has anyone sat down or even written Mr. Tharp a letter explaining the flag is proper or the reason it may not be?
Instead, Pat Campbell, a sitting member of the Vancouver City Council and who claims to also be a Veteran, blasts an aging Veteran for his comment against the mayor during a campaign!
Disturbing on how he blasted Mr. Tharp is Pat’s own words left at the Columbian on February 17, 2009, “I expect some strong emotions in letters and emails directed towards me. People have a right to their feelings and an expectation they will be heard and treated as fellow human beings by those who endeavor to serve them.”
Why isn’t a Veteran as Mr. Tharp entitled to that sentiment?
What is most disrespectful is Pat’s words of, “It is only recently that some of us veterans have even been thanked for following the orders of your generation’s leaders… even though we weren’t so keen on a lot of Army regulations at that time or even now.”
I wonder how Pat would react to a returning Veteran from Iraq or Afghanistan coming before him at a council meeting or even on the street and blasting him with the same words, since the leaders of the Military today is our generation?
As a Viet Nam Veteran I am all too familiar with the reception we received coming back to “the world,” and since. I am also too familiar just which political party micro-managed that war from the Oval Office and how elements of the left undermined us and even cheered for our deaths.
I also know that our thanks actually began when President Ronald Reagan dedicated the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial and issued a public thank you to all of us.
I am also aware of crude, rude and obnoxious conduct by elected officials, Veterans or not, towards citizens.
Is Pat worried that Royce Pollard is going to lose? Is he fearful of Tim Leavitt winning for some reason?
Since Pat and Tim served together on the council and Pat once said of the council, “The Vancouver Council’s decisions are group decisions, not Leavitt’s nor Pollard’s.” I fail to see or understand why Pat chooses to attack commenters in disagreement with Pollard as he did Mr. Tharp, instead of addressing their concerns.
This is very unlike the Pat Campbell I first began exchanging words with.
Pat, take a vacation. Get away for a while. Get outside and breathe some fresh air.
Don’t worry about when you get back. You will still have your seat on the council under Mayor Leavitt.
But mostly, learn a little respect for the voters.
Clark County Conservative 