RANDOM THOUGHT

In my 4 1/2 years as mayor, I have been observed some behaviors which I find humorous at times, tragic at others. Issues can impassion and enflame people, they can also find their judgement impaired or their perspectives narrowed. The recent issues of closing the streets through the Ripon College campus, the deer population problems, and the installation of FieldTurf on Ingalls Field have brought out some of the worst and some of the best in people.

I find it humorous when people ask for my position or my reasoning, then say I am not listening to them based on my position. I listen to EACH and EVERY person who share their constructive criticism and opinion. Note that I said constructive. There are people in Ripon, and, I assume, in every city, who are not constructive, they are destructive. Their aim is to deconstruct the other side in order to champion their cause. Have I been guilty of this trait? Yes, we all have. But I have made a conscious effort in the past few years to keep that emotion contained. A considerable amount of criticism was directed my way over the closing of the streets through the college campus. I believe the closing is a positive move for the college and the city. Anyone who has insinuated there was more to my support is deluded in their thought process.

I also find it tragic when someone loses an argument or an issue, but cannot let it go. Some of the opponents of FieldTurf in Ripon meet that definition. Turf is going on, so something, somewhere, has to be going on that is illegal, immoral, unethical, and unconstitional. There is a conflict of interest involving the mayor, Johnson Bank is being hood-winked, or the voters have been ignored. If you really believe that, then we do not need to talk further on the issue.

I could list all the crazy rumors I have heard in the past several months. They cover the full range from intriguing to absolutely moronic. If I received every kickback or made every threat which has been credited to me, I would driving to the Federal prison in Oxford in my newly-purchased BMW. Of course, I often wonder if the reason behind the rumors is that when one cannot succeed in a republican form of debate, with open channels of communication, they must resort to innuendos and lies. And that is what they are - lies. Vicious, venomous lies, and I always hoped that this type of debate would remain in Washington, and, in some cases, Madison.

I have been asked if I have a moral obligation to the voters of Ripon. My answer has been no. Let me explain. My morals are different than your morals, which are different than your neighbor's morals. I do have an ethical obligation to the residents of Ripon to do what I believe is best for the majority of the community, while respecting, but not being overtly restrained, by the rights of the minority. I found this recently while reading, and found it be a good statement parallel to my beliefs:
Ethics and morals are respectively akin to theory and practice. Ethics denotes the theory of right action and the greater good, while morals indicate their practice. Moral has a dual meaning. The first indicates a person's comprehension of morality and his capacity to put it into practice. In this meaning, the antonym is "amoral", indicating an inability to distinguish between right and wrong. The second denotes the active practice of those values. In this sense, the contrary word is "immoral", referring to actions that violate ethical principles. Personal ethics signifies a moral code applicable to individuals, while social ethics means moral theory applied to groups. Social ethics can be synonymous with social and political philosophy, inasmuch as it is the foundation of a good society or state. Ethics is not limited to specific acts and defined moral codes, but encompasses the whole of moral ideals and behaviors, a person's philosophy of life

Those are my thoughts. I look forward to your ideas and thoughts.