Milton Citizens:

See the letter below that was sent by the Mayor to the City’s board and commissions regarding citizen interaction.  Note that these rules are stated to apply to both elected and appointed officials.  This letter was approved by City Council.  So how is it that Council Member Lusk feels he is above the rules that he has voted to enact?  Lately, both Councilmen Mr. Lusk and Mr. Kunz have been explicitly attacking citizens.  Mr. Lusk recently did so in a social media posting, labeling citizens that oppose his views as his views as “lurking critics, detractors, non-performers, and naysayers.”  He goes on to even call such citizens unpatriotic and critics of volunteerism.  Both Mr. Lusk and Mr. Kunz recently verbally attacked a private citizen in a Council meeting, because they did not like the citizen’s comments before Council.  Think about it.  Council Members are the leaders of our City.  They set the tone and culture.  Will anyone else on other boards and commissions take the rules seriously if Council Members do not?

Following is a link to Kunz/Lusk attack on a private citizen.  Que to 4:41:40 and 4:50.25 in the video.

Lusk and Kunz Attack Citizen in City Council Meeting

Unfortunately, this rule-breaking is predictable behavior from both of these Council members.  They routinely and flagrantly violate the rules.  Consider the following:

• Both Council members actively promoted a developer’s project, even giving tours of the developer’s property.  This is in direct violation of the Milton City Code that prohibits a Council Member’s even indirect interest in the outcome of a matter before City Council.
• Both Council members have both used private e-mail to conduct City business.  This is a violation of laws governing transparency in government.
• Both Council members have circumvented City staff, including the City Manager.  This was evidenced by e-mails obtained through an open records request.  Per City Code, Council members are required to work with City staff only through the City Manager.
• Both Council members have violated their quasi-judicial roles as judges in rezoning hearings by explicitly advocating for applicants before and during rezoning hearings.  Mr. Kunz even gave a 20 minute PowerPoint presentation that could best be described as a marketing presentation for Brightwater Homes.

So it is not surprising that Mr. Lusk and Mr. Kunz would openly and explicitly attack citizens.  They obviously believe that the rules don’s apply to them.  Isn’t this typical of politicians?  This is the same sort of lawlessness that we see in Washington DC.  Lusk and Kunz have imported this lawlessness to Milton and the community is worse for it.  The rules only apply to the other guy . . . the ordinary citizen.

This post is going out to the 2000+ citizens that signed the Milton Coalition’s petitions against cluster housing and the CSO.

In a recent post on social media, Council Member Bill Lusk asserted that citizens that oppose his views are “lurking critics, detractors, non-performers, and naysayers.”  He goes on to say that “they would rather hide behind their keyboards, contribute nothing except divisiveness, and nurse their empty egos, while others bend over and pick up trash along our roads.”

Apparently, not only do we not volunteer on behalf of the community, we also are critics of those who do volunteer.  And we are also unpatriotic.  Mr. Lusk compares us to American colonists who did support the War for Independence and Americans who badly treated returning Vietnam veterans.  Mr. Lusk clearly has a wild imagination.

In signing a petition opposing Mr. Lusk’s developer-promoted ideas on community septic, cluster housing, and high density housing, we petition signers are apparently pretty horrible people.

Initially, Mr. Lusk tried to dismiss the signers of Milton Coalition petitions.  He claimed that most of the signatures came from people that lived outside Milton or were forged (i.e., that many signatures were anonymous).  However, we unequivocally exposed Mr. Lusk’s lies–for example, only 1 person anonymously signed the petition that was submitted into the Milton City Council record.  So now Mr. Lusk has shifted his strategy to attacking citizens that oppose his positions.   This is despicable.  And it will not work.

Clearly, Mr. Lusk has become unhinged.  Mr. Lusk is frustrated that he has not been able to get cluster housing approved for un-sewered areas of Milton.  He is frustrated that he is not able to deliver the goods to the Special Interests he represents.  He realizes that he has lost the confidence and trust of citizens, so has taken to lashing out blindly at anyone that opposes him.  Mr. Lusk (and Mr. Kunz) has even attacked private citizens from the Council dais.  This is in direct violation of the City’s own rules and guidelines (Letter to Boards and Commissions dated February 12, 2016 with subject line:  Citizen Interaction).

Citizens of Milton, Mr. Lusk is up for re-election in 2017.  We need to show Mr. Lusk that we are serious about clean, competent, and citizen-centric government.  We should not tolerate a politician that shows such blatant disdain and disrespect for so many of Milton’s citizens.  Mr. Lusk clearly has to go.

Citizens, as always, thank you for your commitment to Milton.  You are making a difference.