Letters to the editor (Dec. 17, 2020)
Wait for the facts
The Eagle’s recent editorial condemning Wichita City Council Member James Clendenin for “allegations” of wrongdoing misses the mark. Mr. Clendenin will have his day in court. Last time I looked, this is still America, where you are innocent until proven guilty. Mr. Clendenin should have that same right to defend himself against all “allegations.”
I do not know the facts, and unfortunately neither does The Wichita Eagle. They have heard part of a conversation from a person who clearly was the heart of the actions against Brandon Whipple. I am not sure he would be considered “credible.”
Neither The Eagle nor I have seen the CARES Act application submitted by Mr. Clendenin. Do I like that Mr. Clendenin was associated with Michael Capps and the maker of the video? Absolutely not. However, if the Eagle is going after all elected officials who have made bad judgments in associations, it is going to be a long list.
Whether other elected officials or community leaders have called for his resignation also is not relevant. Unfortunately, they also do not have all the facts. The District Attorney is looking into these “allegations,” and if there are charges and Mr. Clendenin is guilty of anything, I will lead the charge to see he resigns.
It is time to let justice take its course. Let Council Member Clendenin have his day in court. The Eagle and the rest of the community can then make its judgments on him, his service, and his future.
Stay vigilant about COVID
Thank you to Sedgwick County citizens and businesses for doing your part to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. I especially want to thank everyone who was extra careful during Thanksgiving.
Though the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 remains critical — and could still surge — the total decreased slightly after Thanksgiving. The county’s positive-test rate also declined but is still high.
It is important we stay vigilant during the upcoming Christmas and New Year’s holidays. In addition to avoiding large events, we need to be careful about family gatherings.
It’s encouraging that COVID-19 vaccinations have begun in Wichita, focusing first on hospital personnel and those living in nursing homes and long-term care facilities. But it will take months before the majority of citizens are vaccinated.
As a result, we need to continue to wear masks, wash our hands and practice social distancing. Doing so will help keep our community safe and our economy open.
No confidence
It’s hard to have much confidence in a city government that green-lighted the WaterWalk/Gander Mountain project and an arena with seats so small, crammed-together and uncomfortable that only Paul McCartney could entice me to spend two hours in that place.
And now we have a brand new, voter unapproved, $75 million baseball stadium. When it was under discussion, I sent all the City Council members an article from Time magazine that said baseball is a dying sport; that internet-addicted millennials, the very group Wichita is trying to recruit to replace our aging population, won’t go to games because they last too long. I didn’t expect the Council to make a decision from the article; I did think it might prompt some research into the viability of a new stadium.
Past the lack of millennial interest, the council would have learned that existing stadiums do renovate. In its 106-year history, Wrigley Field has undergone many renovations. And now, with the demotion from a Triple-A minor league team to a Double-A farm team, it’s questionable that the “build it and they will come” theory will hold true for either a frequently packed stadium or the shops and businesses that are supposed to build around it for the benefit of the fans.
Personally, I’ll be rooting for Eric Wedge’s baseball Shockers.