Louise Smith Can't Stand Being Held Accountable

Predictably, after her tell-it-like-it-is comments at the end of the city council meeting Monday night, Donna Ennis got a "Dot Truitt Letter" from council president Louise Smith. (Dot Truitt, you'll recall, was the grandmotherly lady who took city attorney Paul Wilber to task for "letting us down" on the Hearn annexation. Oh, that was SO MEAN of her! Take a shawl and whip her!)

Let's look at the letter Louise Smith sent Donna:

1. Smith quotes extensively "according to the tape." Wow. Is this how Louise Smith spends her time? Listening to tapes so she can send scolding, even threatening letters to citizens, instead of watching your tax dollars? Smith's mentor, the mayor, is known spend time quoting tapes and writing nasty letters to citizens. Or did Smith squander staff time to listen to the tape and transcribe it for her? (It's a question, Louise, not an accusation.)

2. Yep. Donna Ennis said all that. Except that last line was much later, specific to Smith and her campaign lies, as Ennis talked about how she stood out in the cold campaigning for Smith on the basis of her campaign promises.

3. Smith said: "Including this President in accusatory statements that Mrs. Campbell and Mrs. Cohen were involved with this recent recall or people dissatisfied with the elections bears no truth at all. This was confirmed yesterday by the reporter that wrote the article, Greg Latshaw."

Awww, c'mon, Louise. You stopped just a gnat's behind from out and out accusing Campbell and Cohen. The innuendo was strong enough when Greg Latshaw reported you saying: "'I would hope the petition is not a concentrated attack (on one part of the council) because I'm trying to do something completely opposite and bring all sides together,' Smith said." It was plugged right in with the stronger innuendo from your underlings, Comegys and Shields.

Why would you worry about sides, Louise, if casting the shadow of blame on the other side wasn't the intent? If you were really interested in bringing "sides" together, you could have just asked Campbell and Cohen if they were involved. In fact, Cohen had already publicly stated that she hadn't approached the college student. You could have said something unifying, but fed the fires of divisiveness instead. Please, enlighten us. Just what have you done to bring "all" sides together?

4. Smith said to Ennis: "Continuing at the podium with, 'you lied to us all along..." is unacceptable.'

Why is it unacceptable, Louise? Because it was directed specifically to you? Check your record. You told people that you weren't aligned with anybody but the taxpayer. Then in your first few months in office, you voted for a tax hike and a water rate hike, even before attempting to get the facts.

You promised government in the sunshine, but you have cut meetings and speakers short. You've asked few questions and none were of any light-shining quality. You even got upset in the newspaper with Campbell and Cohen for doing outreach to constituents about open government.

You promised fiscal responsibility and accountability. You're "woodshed talks" with the mayor over the audit are as meaningful as her saying, "I take full responsibility." You campaigned on the same principles as Campbell and Cohen practice, but your performance has been the exact opposite. (Not to beat up the Recall Kid too much, but this is much like Jordan Reisman who is touting those same principles, but started out inciting SU students to riot over tough noise ordinances and neighborhood housing laws. Funny thing is, if Reisman went after you seriously, you'd be the easiest to recall.)

Tell us again, Louise, what's unacceptable about Ennis saying you lied all along?

5. Smith said: "To use a public forum for disrespectful discourse...."

Louise, is the Daily Times a public forum? Answer: Yes. Is falsely insinuating that two of your council colleagues are in cahoots with the Recall Kid disrespectful? Answer: Yes.

6. Smith then goes through all her old emails from Ennis to draw out some peppery phrases that basically say Louise lied and is a tool of the mayor. Again, THIS is how your council president spends her time, Salisbury, while the administration overspends account budgets containing your money?

Ennis, a veteran of the military and of 18 years on the road as a trucker, picked up a few colorful turns of phrase, but there are no obscenities. She wasn't out of control at the podium. As discussed above, there's no slander here, either. In fact, Louise, you came a lot closer to slander with your innuendo about Cohen and Campbell in Latshaw's hatchet piece on the recall.

By the way, Louise, did you write a similar scolding letter to that paragon of virtue supporter of the zoo who stood at the podium last year at budget time and said Campbell and Cohen had sold their souls to the devil for 30 pieces of silver? No? Well, why not?

Alas, the Empress Smith has no clothes. (I gave her a promotion from "princess," as G.A. Harrison used to call her.) Her letter to Donna Ennis reads more like an effort to intimidate than it does a call for civility. Donna Ennis' only "crime" was that she told it like she sees it, in plain-speaking words, to hold Louise Smith accountable for her very own words and deeds. "Accountability." Remember that term, Louise?

All just my opinion, of course. I wouldn't want to get a nasty letter or anything.