Recent political discourse which has turned into personal attacks prompted Salina City Manager Jacob Wood to release an open letter. In it, Wood says the public “has every right to question, challenge, and criticize City decisions”. He continues though, recently the tone of public discourse has become extremely troubling. “There is a difference between criticism and personal attack. In recent months, some public commentary has become personal, demeaning, and harmful toward individual employees.”
Here is the letter:
“I recently attended the premiere of “4 Days in June,” a documentary about the Smoky Hill River Festival. While the film tells the story of the festival and the tremendous effort behind it, its deeper message is about community and what is possible when people come together around a common purpose. The film gave me a chance to reflect on what makes Salina such a great place and how proud I am to serve as City Manager. Communities our size do not accomplish meaningful things by accident. They do so because people choose to work together, contribute their time and talents, and invest in something larger than themselves.
That spirit has shaped Salina’s progress in recent years. We have added jobs, expanded housing, completed important projects, and seen our downtown continue to evolve. Those things happened because people came together to move this community forward.
Recently, the tone of public discourse has become extremely troubling and does not appear to be moving us forward. Residents have every right to question, challenge, and criticize City decisions. Accountability is essential to good government. But there is a difference between criticism and personal attack. In recent months, some public commentary has become personal, demeaning, and harmful toward individual employees. That is not constructive, and it does nothing to move our community forward. City employees are public servants, but they are also people. They are our neighbors, friends, and fellow community members. They should be able to do their jobs without being subjected to insults, harassment, or hostility. I am proud of the employees who serve this community every day, often under difficult circumstances and with little recognition. They have my full support and appreciation.
The City welcomes honest feedback, and we should always expect public scrutiny. But disagreement with government should never become an attack on the character, appearance, motives, or worth of the people doing the work. We can hold government accountable while still treating one another with decency and respect. That is the standard our employees and elected officials deserve, and it is the standard our community should expect from itself.”
JACOB WOOD, CITY MANAGER
City of Salina
