| Letter to the Editor | |
| April 13, 2012 Mayor Edwin L. Mayo | |
 This obviously isn’t the letter I was ready to submit Thursday April 5th providing information about Gering’s major summer electrical and street projects. Instead I must address this bias and misinformation published by Mr. Steve Frederick, Editor of the Star-Herald, in his “Our View” column. First and foremost the comment, “Over the past year, longstanding efforts toward greater collaboration between the city and other municipalities in the valley have taken a beating…” is a fabrication that lives only in Mr. Frederick’s mind. Just because we have not “merged” or done what is “best for the community” in his skewed, juntas perspective, does not mean we haven’t been working on partnership opportunities. Some of those partnerships have saved our neighbors to the north, as well as the County hundreds of thousands of dollars. However I don’t recall Mr. Frederick, or the “Editorial Board,” from which he likes to hide with his poison pen, at any of those meetings, nor has he called to ask me for any information. I do appreciate the credit given, that I had a direct role with Gering not funding the move of the Museum of Natural History from Gering to the Riverside Discovery Center. However in fairness I cannot take credit for that “lack of cooperation.” That was a jewel from another administration, strongly supported by Mr. Frederick. Also without data or facts, I have never gone on record or made any public statements questioning a MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL partnership with any private or governmental entity as Mr. Frederick did when he maliciously said, “… Who in their right mind would ever want to partner or do anything with Gering!” during the County Tourism RFP process. Is this a spirit of cooperation or being neighborly? The police merger is a dead issue. I presented my differences with the merger based on the information presented at public meetings, which I attended. Mr. Frederick, I don’t recall seeing your smiling face at ANY of those meetings, but I did hear you skew, misinform and rail about information allegedly presented at those meetings. I would appreciate it if you were honest when you portray my views on public safety. I am a strong proponent of all aspects of public safety. I have been directly and indirectly involved with public safety issues nearly my entire life. I believe we have strong, successful inter-local agreements in place. We will continue to work within those agreements for the benefit of our entire community. Regarding the sports complex, The Gering City Council, staff and I are being extremely methodical as we consider this project. I believe this is called, “due diligence.” We are looking at partnerships with many entities, groups and individuals. This sports complex idea, if successful, is another step in Gering’s rich history as a recreational and tourist destination for our area, benefiting everyone in our county and region. If Scottsbluff chooses not to participate, we will continue to be good neighbors. I seldom read or advertise in the Star-Herald, so I am not writing this letter to fuel whatever feud you may have with me. If there is malice, it is yours alone. My participation in your perceived feud or war would be futile at best. If you have an axe to grind with me, I am very easily found. We can discuss it. If you want to continue to carry on this way, it is your choice, but please pitch a fit elsewhere. Edwin L. Mayo Mayor Gering, Read more by Mayor Edwin L. Mayo |
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