September 19, 2017

Although there were only 2 agenda items and it lasted only an hour, last night’s City Council working session was quite interesting.  There were only five of us in attendance . . . mostly the usual suspects.

The first item was a proclamation recognizing Constitution Week.  This proclamation was presented by Bill Lusk, who sponsors most of Council’s patriotic proclamations.  I support such proclamations and other City-sponsored acts of patriotic recognition.  However, I frankly find Mr. Lusk’s sponsorship of these proclamations puzzling, as Mr. Lusk is clearly the most anti-Constitutional of the seven Milton Council Members, (although lately Matt Kunz, ironically an “American Studies” major in college, has been giving Lusk a run for his money).

I have tangled with Mr. Lusk for nearly 2 years.  Lusk has tried mightily to shut me and other citizens down because of our criticism of him.  In so doing, Lusk has shown a profound ignorance–or perhaps worse, a willful disregard for—the U.S. Constitution.  He has asserted that citizens speaking in public comment and in on-line forums are “violating” and “abusing” their right to free speech when they criticize his policy positions.  He has criticized petitions against his policy positions, perhaps not knowing that “the right to petition the government for redress of grievances” is also a First Amendment right.  He has also attacked groups of citizens that dare organize in any fashion to challenge our local government and in so doing, Lusk is trampling on Freedom of Assembly—another First Amendment freedom.  He is often supported in his attacks by Council Member Kunz (and sometimes Councilor Thurman).  He attacks citizen critics from the Council dais, in direct violation of City policy.  He has also excoriated his citizen-critics in the Milton Herald, comparing us to protesters that spit upon returning Vietnam veterans and to Loyalists during the American Revolution.

So my suggestion to Mr. Lusk follows.  Mr. Lusk, before you sponsor another patriotic resolution, please commit to actually reading—and better yet, understanding—the Constitution.  I might also suggest reading the Federalist Papers.  Unfortunately, I suspect Mr. Lusk will continue in his anti-Constitutional ways, true to the old saw that you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. 

I take no pleasure in tangling with Mr. Lusk.  Mr. Lusk and I are both veterans.  Mr. Lusk served for 2 years in a construction battalion in the 1960s.  I thank him for his service to our country.  I volunteered for the U.S. Navy’s submarine service, serving as a nuclear submarine officer for 7 ½ years.  It is this investment of my time in the Navy to defend our great country and its institutions, including the Constitution, that keeps me fighting for good governance in Milton and against those, like Mr. Lusk, that block the way.

(Tomorrow’s blog post will cover the last night’s other Council agenda item on incentivizing large lots in Milton.)

Tim Becker