Block · one region of the page, as the scanner read it. It may hold a whole story, part of one, several, or an advertisement; stitching blocks into articles is the next step. Text is supplied OCR.
Page 4 · column 1 of 3 · from the scan, no model involved
Unly later, alter Mr. Godwin skipped town owing many people money, was it revealed that Mr. Wickens had lent Mr. Godwin $4,500 to help his business get started. The evidence is clear — photocopies of two personal checks written by Mr. Wickens to Mr. Godwin, filed in support of a warrant in debt and in the public record in the office of the General District Court. Olne is dated May 28,1989, the other July 9,1989— well before Mr. Wickens’ advocacy on behalf of the Cafe.
Mr. Wickens never disclosed any business interest in the Village Cafe during that entire period. While his voting on the jail addition was not a conflict since the Village Cafe was not involved, we have to question his judgment in lobbying for the Cafe — not to mention alleging that another public official had lied about a related matter — while holding an undisclosed interest in the business.
Government officials, we agree, should be held to a higher standard of conduct than the general public. But that standard should be applied in all cases, not just when it suits the official and his agenda.
In the end, the people are the losers when government by shenanigan is the rule of the game. No matter the stakes, the public interest is ill-served by manuevers that reek of the foul odor of smoke-filled cloakroom politics.
We know that not everyone in town agrees about the important issues facing Washington. But we hope that, in the future, the various factions will respect each other enough to debate the issues in public, in front of the Planning Commission and Town Council. That is democracy, the only government worthy of the First Washington.
93.6%