Dear editor,

I feel it is important to comment on the concerns expressed about of the special meeting called by the Blanco City Council on Friday October 22. There seems to have been a good deal of misinformation and negative sentiment that has been spread about the actions and motives of the City Council. Special meetings called during the business day are not unusual and normally occur several times a year. These meetings typically have one or two agenda items only, and are called when an item is time-critical and should not wait until the regularly scheduled meeting of the Council. This is exactly how the meeting of October 22 came to be scheduled.

Recently, two needed police vehicles were identified for sale but were sold to someone else before the City Council had an opportunity to discuss the purchase. The Mayor called a special meeting to discuss the purchase of two different police vehicles so they could be acquired before another opportunity was lost. This was the only agenda item scheduled. After the Mayor confirmed that all five Council members would be in attendance, the City Attorney suggested a show of hands on the recent termination of Officer Bragg to dispel the concerns expressed by some citizens about Mr. Bragg’s termination being discussed in a closed meeting. I agree that the citizens of Blanco deserve to know where individual Council members stood on this issue. Simply put, however, the termination of Officer Bragg was not the reason for the meeting.

I trust that those who know me personally will believe me when I say that the folks currently serving the community on the City Council are your neighbors and good citizens who are trying to use their individual common sense to address the decisions needed to benefit the community and undertake the City’s business. I will admit I have been a bit taken aback by the recent vitriol expressed against the City Council and I believe it is fostered by a lack of information or misunderstanding of the process by some, and the intentional spreading of misinformation by others.

Blanco is your community. I encourage all interested citizens to get involved. Ask questions and be educated on the processes of local government. Learn what the issues are facing our town and develop your own opinions based on actual facts rather than propagated rumor. Then by all means, let common sense and understanding prevail and let your voice be heard!

Bobby “Mack” McClung

Blanco City Councilman