Apologies
I managed to upset a number of people with my recent post and comments. I am writing to apologize to those I have upset.
I apologize to the municipal court clerk. In a comment on a blog, I repeated something she told me about another person attempting to use the city's wireless internet. My comment was not relevant to the discussion. I should not have shared that information in this forum. I am sorry that I posted that information. It was removed less than an hour after being posted.
I apologize to the city's technical support contractor. I believed at the time that my statements were true based on the information that was shared with me, but have since realized that my statements were not true. I was wrong. The city has a highly qualified contractor in this area. I should have looked into this more before making my comments.
I apologize to the committee working on the city website. I know their intentions are good. I look forward to the results. Marfa is behind the times in this area. I have tried to remedy one issue by posting agendas online. I hope that they take my comments as constructive criticism. Building and zoning are important, but there are many other important areas that were not mentioned in the presentation. I stand by my comment that Marfa is poorly served by private committees with anonymous membership. If the problem is an unproductive environment, perhaps we all can work towards a solution that addresses all the sources of friction. I too wish that the environment was less caustic. I have taken my share of hits from this administration because I tried to volunteer on controversial subjects. It has not been easy. I'll take some of the blame. I would like an atmosphere where all volunteers are welcomed and treated with respect. I'll do better on my part.
I don't have the time nor ability to fact check all the comments made by readers. I believe that a blog can be a positive forum. Public discussion of problems leads to awareness of the problem and discussion of solutions. Witness the politeness in adjourning the most recent meeting compared to the prior meeting thanks in part to information presented in this blog. I think this blog has had many good results. I continue to support anonymous comments because of past actions of retribution from this administration towards citizens expressing their first amendment rights. Don't believe everything you read here. Even the major newspapers and television news programs make mistakes. If anything is wrong or intentionally offensive, contact me and I will remove the material if it is wrong or unsubstantiated. To the commenters, I ask once again to be sure of the accuracy of information you post. There is an important role in our country for governmental oversight and criticism and whistle-blowing on illegal action. Discussion and dialog often lead to improvements. I agree with comments that more politeness would help.
I have been the subject of targeted public attacks by this administration at the last two council meetings. That sort of behavior should be unacceptable to council members. I look forward to their response on that. Regarding the internet access, I am truly sorry that I responded to a request for help. My intention was to help. I hope that one outcome of this misunderstanding is that the city can formulate a policy that reflects all city business including official meetings. Technology exists to make wireless internet available to official groups without compromising security. No policy has been adopted and there is much confusion among the city staff about technical capabilities and individual areas of responsibilities. The fact that I was asked to help instead of the official person illustrates the communication problems and lack of coherent policy at city hall. Don't worry, I won't try to help again. Let's hope that improvements come from this misunderstanding.
Thank you to all readers and contributors. This is an imperfect yet important forum. We are all learning the ropes a little bit. I am critical of municipal actions that I disagree with. I hope positive changes result. I accept criticism directed towards me for mistakes I have made. Please accept my apologies.
I apologize to the municipal court clerk. In a comment on a blog, I repeated something she told me about another person attempting to use the city's wireless internet. My comment was not relevant to the discussion. I should not have shared that information in this forum. I am sorry that I posted that information. It was removed less than an hour after being posted.
I apologize to the city's technical support contractor. I believed at the time that my statements were true based on the information that was shared with me, but have since realized that my statements were not true. I was wrong. The city has a highly qualified contractor in this area. I should have looked into this more before making my comments.
I apologize to the committee working on the city website. I know their intentions are good. I look forward to the results. Marfa is behind the times in this area. I have tried to remedy one issue by posting agendas online. I hope that they take my comments as constructive criticism. Building and zoning are important, but there are many other important areas that were not mentioned in the presentation. I stand by my comment that Marfa is poorly served by private committees with anonymous membership. If the problem is an unproductive environment, perhaps we all can work towards a solution that addresses all the sources of friction. I too wish that the environment was less caustic. I have taken my share of hits from this administration because I tried to volunteer on controversial subjects. It has not been easy. I'll take some of the blame. I would like an atmosphere where all volunteers are welcomed and treated with respect. I'll do better on my part.
I don't have the time nor ability to fact check all the comments made by readers. I believe that a blog can be a positive forum. Public discussion of problems leads to awareness of the problem and discussion of solutions. Witness the politeness in adjourning the most recent meeting compared to the prior meeting thanks in part to information presented in this blog. I think this blog has had many good results. I continue to support anonymous comments because of past actions of retribution from this administration towards citizens expressing their first amendment rights. Don't believe everything you read here. Even the major newspapers and television news programs make mistakes. If anything is wrong or intentionally offensive, contact me and I will remove the material if it is wrong or unsubstantiated. To the commenters, I ask once again to be sure of the accuracy of information you post. There is an important role in our country for governmental oversight and criticism and whistle-blowing on illegal action. Discussion and dialog often lead to improvements. I agree with comments that more politeness would help.
I have been the subject of targeted public attacks by this administration at the last two council meetings. That sort of behavior should be unacceptable to council members. I look forward to their response on that. Regarding the internet access, I am truly sorry that I responded to a request for help. My intention was to help. I hope that one outcome of this misunderstanding is that the city can formulate a policy that reflects all city business including official meetings. Technology exists to make wireless internet available to official groups without compromising security. No policy has been adopted and there is much confusion among the city staff about technical capabilities and individual areas of responsibilities. The fact that I was asked to help instead of the official person illustrates the communication problems and lack of coherent policy at city hall. Don't worry, I won't try to help again. Let's hope that improvements come from this misunderstanding.
Thank you to all readers and contributors. This is an imperfect yet important forum. We are all learning the ropes a little bit. I am critical of municipal actions that I disagree with. I hope positive changes result. I accept criticism directed towards me for mistakes I have made. Please accept my apologies.
posted by RobC at 8:16 PM
5 Comments:
It seems as if this is a classic case of faulting the Messenger. The critics of the messenger should be looking at the Message!!
Ah, my sentiments, exactly!
It takes a special type of person to be big enough to apologize or admit their mistakes. I'll bet none of the others involved will be willing to do the same for whatever part THEY might have played. Thank you, Rob Crowley, for being the person of integrity that you are. No wonder you were named Citizen of the Year.
Robert Crowley states: I continue to support anonymous comments because of past actions of retribution from this administration towards citizens expressing their first amendment rights. This was EXACTLY my point about why certain people will not publicly volunteer for community service, i.e., the retribution and derision comes from certain citizens.
Anonymous advice does not make the group working on a website a "secret committee." In fact, the presentation of the volunteer efforts make this allegation laughable. If the group wanted to hide something, it would not have gone before the city council and the community.
FINALLY, if Robert deserves the acclimation above and the praise as citizen of the year, I urge him to follow through with his promise that he will correct misstatements in his original discussion of the work on the city's website. There are NUMEROUS errors, mistatements, and mischaracterizations in the text that have not been corrected. FIX IT if you mean it.
The apology is self-serving and half-hearted unless the appropriate changes are made. An appropriate apology in most parts of the country also does not provide for excuses - I was a victim, therefore, I am sorry that I vicimized you.
Vilis Inde - I guess I am the only brave soul, other than Rob, that need not hide behind anonymity on this blog. I certainly feel bad that everyone else feels that they will be persectuted if they identify themselves. This must be very difficult - living in this state of fear.
Flo Sauceda is the one who should apologize. Once again, he exhibits that he knows nothing about what is going on at city hall. Instead of taking the first reports of this security breach and publicly announcing it like Watergate, he should have done exactly what Rob says HE should have done: checked with the contractor, checked with AT&T, checked with Rob. But that is administrative work that is beyond him. It shows how much the staff at City Hall has to do on their own volition.
Rob, no apology necessary. I consider this just another attempt by city hall to vilify you.
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