My View

An open letter to the Honesdale Borough Council:

By ERIK GREGORY
Posted 7/22/20

I’ve been a citizen of Honesdale for about 20 of my 25 years. This is my first time addressing the borough council, but looking at the state of things, it will be the first of many.

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My View

An open letter to the Honesdale Borough Council:

Posted

I’ve been a citizen of Honesdale for about 20 of my 25 years. This is my first time addressing the borough council, but looking at the state of things, it will be the first of many.

The July 6 Honesdale Borough Council meeting was not only a massive disappointment but also a huge act of disservice to our community. Amanda DeMasi applied to be appointed to the council, answering a call within herself to serve her community—something I feel she has already been doing for as long as she has been able. Each member of the public that spoke in favor of a candidate gave their support to Amanda. I listened as each of the four candidates were given an opportunity to speak for themselves—a few casual words from the first candidate, a simple statement from the second. As she started, Amanda immediately stood out with an impassioned speech, full of love for this town and honest intent to make things better for all. I heard as the last candidate, Derek Williams, another passionate and driven citizen for whom I have a lot of respect, and even more so after his actions that night, voluntarily pulled his own name and urged others who had faith in him to put their faith in the well-deserved hands of Amanda. I saw, frankly, a huge outpouring of support for a single candidate. And then I listened as the council once again transparently ignored its citizens and instead voted for yet another white man over the age of 50.

All council members who voted to maintain the status quo should be ashamed and at least a little embarrassed. Jim Jennings, one of only two councilors to vote in Amanda’s favor, was the sole vote against maintaining an all-white, all-male council with an average age that likely hovers above retirement. Council, you heard but clearly did not listen to the citizens you are supposed to be representing. You heard but did not listen as several women spoke on the fact that this council is not representative of the community it serves.You clearly did not listen to your residents because you had the power to make a minute amount of effort that would have given your citizens something to celebrate: representation!

As a queer person, this council does not represent me. As a non-binary person, this council does not represent me. As a young person, this council does not represent me. As a fairly young citizen, all I have observed from this council is meeting after meeting of complaints not only from residents about inaction and ineptitude but also complaints from the council itself about the amount of effort they need to put forth and continuous dismissals and handoffs of concerns to someone else, anyone else.

I raise the question: If the majority of what you’re doing in this seat is complaining about having to sit in it, deferring action to some future meeting or council and refusing to be accountable for the actions of your staff, why is it so much effort for you to stand up and remove yourselves from those seats so that folks with drive, passion, motivation, determination and love for this borough and this town can show you how it’s done? You meet our concerns with platitudes and verbal urges to get involved, but actively impede progress, serving only to discourage us.

You, however, have made an error this time, because we are not discouraged, we are renewed. We are even more determined to take your seats now. I am not about to sit here and wait 30 years until I finally look enough like one of you to be heard and to be listened to. I don’t think it’s inaccurate to say the action, or more appropriately, inaction you took that night was a blatant disregard for a diversity problem that’s been addressed to you several times and shows just how much this town needs to vote to remove many of you. You have been sitting there far too long and too passively, and yet simultaneously actively working against progress and fresh perspective to justify your remaining in those seats any longer.

Erik is a graduate of Honesdale High School and a proud queer, autistic parent. They’re passionate about social equality, enjoy surrounding themselves with animals and nature, and hope to work to help LGBTQ+ underprivileged youth in the future.

Amanda DeMasi, Honesdale Borough Council

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