I refer to Vern Holmquist’s column in July’s edition of Our Town Life.
Once again Mr. Holmquist bases his opinions on senior center gossip and not facts.
Our ex-Police Chief Brent Earhart has been recommended for de-certification by the state’s Police Policy Committee.
Mr. Holmquist points his finger at our Council and our Mayor for initiating this action.
I have read the articles in the Woodburn Independent, the Canby Herald and the Silverton Appeal. I have also read the minutes of the DPSST meeting for when the vote was taken unanimously and I regularly read the Mount Angel Council meeting minutes for each and every meeting. NOWHERE does it state that our Council or our Mayor had anything whatsoever to do with this action.
Mr. Holmquist needs to hang it up. He has no business writing articles about subjects on which he has no knowledge and shame on Our Town for encouraging his vindictive campaign against our city officials. I don’t always agree with them either but put the blame where it belongs. Chief Earhart apparently lied and now he has to pay the price. Mr. Holmquist is lying about our Mayor and Council. Will he pay the price too?
Barbara Rose,
Mount Angel
Vern Holmquist responds: As to Brent Earhart, to many of us the perfect small town cop: his work with the young, his compassion toward others, his donated time, his fingers on the pulse of the town, easy to talk to. His love for the town dampened by the knowledge that the council was looking for ways to dismiss him – not a pleasant condition to work under. His standing in the middle of the intersection directing traffic with a smile. Hard to find men like that. (Now) banned for life. How horrible. Who did he harm, other than some egos?
Now perhaps I do not have my facts straight. When I asked our city administrator who was responsible for handing this matter over to the DPSST I was handed a printed statement and told Brent’s case would not be discussed by the city.
The statement read: “The City of Mount Angel disagrees with statements made by former Chief Earhart in his Jan. 6, 2011 statement to the State Dept. of Public Safety Standards and Training. The City will not discuss the information DPSST requested from the City; however, we can state that, unrelated to the DPSST issue, the police officers in Mount Angel were appropriately paid for their time at Oktoberfest 2010 and the City did not bill for nor did we receive money from Oktoberfest for any additional or unauthorized pay.”
Are we then not left to our own theory? Transparency? Perhaps like catching flies the DPSST just reached out and grabbed, the case they caught was the one they wanted.
