As a member of Citizens for a Clean Wausau (CCW), while attending the September 3 meeting of the City Council’s Parks and Recreation Committee, I was very disturbed by the behavior of a city employee and one councilman. CCW spokesman, Thomas Kilian, while having the floor, was rudely interrupted and chastised by Jamie Polley, City Parks Director and by Councilman David Nutting, both of whom were out of order and, according to Robert’s Rules of Order, should have been silenced by Patrick Peckham, the Committee chair.
Evidently there was some misunderstanding between parties regarding CCW’s submission of material concerning where the group desired testing to take place in Riverside Park. This matter could have been politely discussed; there was no need for the Parks Director to dramatize the misunderstanding in a manner that has caused some to wonder if the whole presentation was not orchestrated.
When Polley’s appointment was announced in a local paper, May 11, 2018, she was quoted as saying, “I think advocacy is a big thing that we need to work on, that it’s more than just recreation and outdoors.” One would think that rather than chastising a resident concerned with the chemical pollution of a park, Polley would be “advocating” for the cleanup of the facility. Coming from an elected official, Nutting’s hostile attitude and comments regarding the Riverside Park pollution issue are very disturbing
I would hope that Director Polley’s outburst will be discussed during her next yearly performance review; at a salary in excess of $100,000, which is over $25,000 more than the mayor’s, some might expect a more civil performance when interacting with tax paying citizens.
Jerry Buerer
Wausau
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