Criticizing mayor for helping the city is just not right; focus on building our town

Letter to the Editor,

Wow! How far have we fallen as a community that we would spend our time criminalizing a small-town mayor for $289.20?

Did the mayor’s act breach the public trust?

Did the mayor willfully and knowingly break Montana State Code?

When did helping out the city you work for become sensational media?

Hindsight being 20/20, I bet the mayor would have turned down that job, but the fact remains he took the job, and I believe as a convenience to the city of Libby not as a get rich quick scheme!

Personally, it seems more a breach of etiquette than a breach of ethics. Is the code there for a reason? You bet!

No public official should use his or her position to garner favor, wealth or undue position. I do not believe the mayor was trying to achieve favor, wealth, or position and that should be taken into consideration.

Councilman Allen Olsen does have a right to bring to light this unfortunate miscue, but as an outsider looking in, Olsen’s actions seem more like vindictiveness than truly protecting the citizens of Libby. I know we live off the beaten path, and this back-and-forth between the mayor and Councilman Olsen is high drama, but as the great Chris Carter says “Come on Man” this is not front-page news!

We have far more daunting problems in Libby, and we need to focus on the real issues that face our community.

We have a public school district that is in dire straits financially, and the key to ending generational poverty is not hand-outs, but education and employment.

We have a community that has taken some huge hits during the years, and like a heavyweight boxer that has been pummeled against the ropes, we are showing some signs of wear, but I know there is more fight left in this town.

Let’s fight for education, let’s fight for employment, and let’s fight for our way of life. Stop all the petty infighting, and let’s use that energy to make Libby a town to be proud of.

— Matt Skranak

Libby