Letter: Limitless investigation is a worry

To the Editor:

The actions of the Red Wing City Council should chill the hearts of freedom-loving citizens of Red Wing. Because of political opposition to an issue, the members of the City Council sought to bully and intimidate a duly elected official. I believe if Mayor Dennis Egan had recently acquired a client who wished to hire his services in opposition to sand fracking, they would have given him an award rather than move to investigate him.

Red Wing’s legal counsel affirmed there is no standing to oppose Egan’s business connection and no reason to legally suspect him of wrong doing. Egan’s client has no to ties to pretty Red Wing.

When the tax dollars spent on that investigation didn’t give the City Council members the results they wanted, they pressed on to trample his character.

Monday night they began the process of spending additional tax dollars – with no limits – to hire “someone” to delve into every area of his personal and professional life. No limits in any way of time or scope were placed on their investigation.

I request that every member of the City Council be suspected and investigated to the same degree. Every client, business connection, family member and relationship, even if that connection has no ties to pretty Red Wing, needs to be examined and evaluated to the same degree as proposed for investigating Mayor Egan.

Let me see if this is what the City Council is implying: In the future local government needs to evaluate every candidate as to see if they fit their criteria to serve in office.

Doesn’t sound like freedom to me.

Regardless of how the City Council members view the entirely legal business of sand fracking, their actions are rather frightening.

Teresa Whitson

Red Wing

Tags: opinion, letters