Hey Joe

Meanwhile, the piece written by Vallejo City Councilmember Stephanie Gomes ("A ruling that's a loss for all of Vallejo," Sept. 23) made me very sad because it reflects the process whereby the whole debate about the safety unions has become so emotionally out of control.

The outstanding problem with Ms. Gomes' "opinion" piece was its repetition that "the union has demanded the payment of a personal and frivolous lawsuit." Supporters of the council majority have raised this point repeatedly but they have the excuse that they may have been misinformed. Ms. Gomes, however, knows better. A look at the video of the city council meeting of Dec. 19 of last year will show that chief city negotiator and acting City Manager John Thompson had outlined the union offer in bullet points. Ms. Gomes tried to imply that the city was being asked to pay for Mr. Henke's legal fees. Mr. Thompson clarified Ms. Gomes' opinion by stating that there was "no direct linkage" between the $140,000 that Ms. Gomes was trying to connect with Mr. Henke's legal fees. In fact, he said, "everything related to those fees was removed" from the agreement. When Ms. Gomes kept trying to relate the legal fees to the monies, Mr. Thompson repeated that the monies were benefits paid "directly to employees," Ms. Gomes fell silent and the meeting proceeded.

Ms. Gomes may "feel" that she is right, she may want to believe that she is right, she may be passionate that right is on her side. But that does not change the facts as Mr. Thompson stated them. It is precisely this unrelenting urge to keep repeating feelings in place of fact that has made this whole conflict so ugly. It is time to stop.

In the original proposal $140,000 was designated for the payment of Mr. Henke's legal fees. These monies were to be paid by the city. MORE
Ms. Gomes correctly identified this and had it removed.
At the December 19 council meeting Ms Gomes spoke to ensure that this situation was made part of the public record. After this purpose was served there was nothing else to say.
Mr. Athey should not confuse feelings with commitment.
Perhaps he is the one finding it hard to separate his feelings from the facts.