Letter to the Editor

Coverage of Mayor Sanders is unfair

Tuesday, October 15, 2013

To the editor:

I've been reading the Courier News for a long time now, but recently, I've become deeply concerned by the direction the newspaper has taken, especially reporter Mark Brasfield. He certainly seems to have it out for Blytheville Mayor James Sanders and anyone who works for him.

This leads me to a question I've been wondering about for a while. What was Mark Brasfield, who has, I've been told, working for the paper for almost 10 years, doing all the while the last mayor was in office?

I've heard many stories about the last mayor and his administration. Not only were taxes not paid for several years. I've heard about missing equipment, large scale employee theft, people ordering parts on the city's dime for their race cars and using city time to work on them. The stories are almost endless. Are they true? No one really knows because we didn't read anything from Mark Brasfield about it.

Where was Mark Brasfield then? Almost every recent article I read by him tells of his FOIA requesting information. How many requests did he make on the previous mayor? Not nearly as many as he appears to be doing now, or maybe, none at all.

This looks a lot like what's going on with our President. You really think those members of Congress just disagree with him because they don't like his policies? Or is there another reason?

I have to ask the Courier News and Mark Brasfield the same question. Why when there was a white mayor, you kept your head buried in the sand? Now there's a black mayor and you attack him almost daily. Why the difference? Either Mark Brasfield was asleep at the wheel during the last mayor's time in office or he just doesn't like the fact that there's a black man in the mayor's office.

Not that it matters anymore to me, I won't continue to read the Courier News. I believe in all the good Mayor James Sanders and his staff are doing for our great city.

Loretta Heard
Blytheville

EDITOR'S NOTE:

It is the responsibility of the newspaper to scrutinize the conduct and record of public officials. Whether or not our coverage is successful in this regard is certainly something to which the public has a right to review. And Mrs. Heard is entitled to her option in this matter.

But two things are worth noting:

First, this newspaper has placed often intense scrutiny on former Mayor Barrett Harrison, both in the reporting of Mark Brasfield, as well as other reporters who have covered city government. The record is clear on this matter. Anyone who thinks otherwise should ask Harrison if he thinks the local newspaper has treated him gently through the years.

Second, the allegation that race has anything to do with our coverage decisions is insulting and off base. Defining current events in those terms does nothing to further public discourse.

This newspaper will continue to scrutinize public officials, without regard to whether they are white, black, brown, red, purple, green or any other color.