Dear Editor,

In response to the article "What to Do with a Town Like Mountain View?"

 

Let me start by stating, I don't reside in Mountain View. I don't go to the council meetings. I don't vote on the city ordinances. I don't have a voice in how the city is ran, or funds allocated. However, I have always considered Mountain View home. 

 

I've always loved how close everyone in our little community has been. Someone always has a hand to lend, an extra dollar to give, or a shoulder to offer when others need it. Yet, it never fails, we always seem to have our disagreements and fights that start because of rumors, talking behind one's back, or spreading misinformation without having all the facts.

 

I would like to think that anyone would want to make sure they had their facts straight and had done their research so they weren't spreading misinformation. I would also think this would be especially true for a journalist, undoubtedly so for "an award-winning journalist with 15 years' experience." But here we are, with a journalist for our very own Howell County News doing just that. Failing to do the research, and frankly cutting corners as a journalist.

 

The reporter in question wrote an article that contained misinformation, and made insinuations about the city's attorney, without doing her research. A simple phone call provided information that the standard hourly rate for the city attorney is $150. A few more phone calls and some emails garnered that the hourly rate for other attorneys in our area is $130-$400 dollars an hour. Not to mention the retainer fee that some charge. Now, I will attest, I am horrible at math, but $90 an hour and no retainer fee seem like quite the discount for the city of Mountain View to have an attorney readily available. It should also have been reported that the hourly rate the attorney charges the city has been $90 since 2012. The price has been the same for over a decade.  

 

I would also think that if the city's expenditures for lawyer fees were so concerning, that it would be helpful and informative to pull more than two months' worth. In comparing the cost for several years, one could have easily seen that that the average amount per month is closer to $2500 and the over $4000 charge for January was an exception.

 

Now, it is important to note the city attorney is there to advise. The city pays her to be available to answer their questions and to provide consultations on the best course of action regarding laws. Taking this into consideration, along with the charges for January, this leads to the bigger question. What has the city of Mountain View done, more than likely against the city attorney's advice, that has warranted elected city officials needing to have more conversations with her behind closed doors?

 

I would think this should have been the focus of a former Alderwoman, if this is the question she was wanting to draw attention to she completely missed the mark. Instead, readers of the article were met with insinuations and pointed fingers in the direction of a hopeful scapegoat for the misallocation of tax payer money.

 

If the concern was where tax payer dollars are being utilized, then perhaps our journalist should have dug into that, because it certainly hasn't been on roads and infrastructure. We have roads that were dug up over a year ago that are now glorified gravel roads. Our vehicles take a beating traversing the roads littered with pot holes that could swallow a small car.

 

Perhaps the answer to the question "what do you do with a city like Mountain View" can be answered in three parts. First, I encourage people to do their research and fact check. Stop relying on insinuations, blatant lies and lazy journalism to get your "facts." Unless you see evidence of it, take everything with a grain of salt. Second, in the only place I will agree with our journalist, run for office yourselves to make a difference. More diversity and a younger generation with fresh ideas is sorely needed. Third, start asking the city questions. As Shakespeare said, "there is something rotten in the state of Denmark."

 

Angie Nicholson, Birch Tree