Editor,

This is in response to two letters to the editor published in the May 19 edition of the Coastal Courier. First, I should clear up the spelling of my name. It is Curtes, not Curtis.

The letter by Len Calderone stated that I stood outside the May 13 Midway City Council meeting and peered in through a window. This is a lie. I left the room and proceeded outside. When I returned, I stood at the back of the room near the door, where an employee was seated.
Len Calderone was seated in the front row, facing forward. I had a full view of him. He should know that I never have — and never will — peer in a window or door.

To both Len Calderone and Councilman Terrence Doyle, I comprehend “Robert’s Rules of Order” very clearly concerning the reading of minutes. However, the issue is not with “Robert’s Rules of Order,” but rather with Councilman Doyle’s insistence that the minutes be read. This is a no-brainer. We receive the meeting summary a couple of days following the meeting, and weeks later, we receive the minutes in time to study and make corrections if needed. If a member can’t read the minutes in three days, it is possible to assume that the member may have a reading or comprehension problem.

During the meeting, I intended to move to approve the minutes with corrections or as printed, whichever would have been applicable. Councilman Doyle wanted the minutes read because he wants his opinions omitted from the Nov. 15, 2012 minutes to be included.

“Robert’s Rules of Order” clearly states that the minutes should contain mainly a record of what was done at the meeting and not what was said by the members. If, according to you, the minutes are required to be read, then why was it not consistently done during the past three years? When minutes are not received in a timely manner, you are the first to comment.

What is the purpose of sending the minutes out in advance if they are going to be read? It is understood that a member may call for the reading, but your motives are not for the good of the council. If the business of the council is to take place, it’s all up to you.

Len Calderone needs to know that these positions are designated as part-time. However, I do not treat the job as part-time like some other council members who simply come to city hall to pay their water bills, check their mailboxes or collect their checks. They are the ones who should be asked to return their checks and resign.

Len Calderone has no concept of the hours I devote, day and night, to attending to city business and representing the city at various community events. Resign? Return a check? How dare you!