Goodbye, Mr. Parks

As a citizen of Brewer, I am sick of the antics of former City Manager Harold Parks. At one time I was sympathetic to his cause, but his conduct since the monetary settlement with the city has turned me off completely as I’m sure it has most people who may have felt his dismissal was made in bad faith. He made his point and was compensated for the bad deal he got.

As a former municipal officer, I can’t understand his motive for continuing his diatribes against the city council. If Parks ever considered himself to be ethical in his profession, he has now lost all respect. Perhaps his vindictive attitude was a thing the council experienced which motivated them to fire him.

Parks contends he represents a number of Brewer citizens. I have yet to meet a single one and if there are people who support his views, his antics will soon lose what friends he has. What can he expect to gain or change?

The city council should not be construed to be without its faults. It continues to do things for political expedience and at least one councilor has a serious conflict of interest and should resign. However, their conduct and judgment are not going to be affected by listening to Parks lecturing them. At the last meeting Parks showed great concern for two people recently terminated for budget reasons. As city manager he struggled with budgets, too, and certainly must have hurt people in the recommendations he made to the council and he was not an advocate of charity.

One can understand the feelings of humiliation Parks has endured, but as an employee in the public sector for many years he should have been aware of the hazards and uncertainties of his employment. Managers get fired sometimes at the smallest whims of their supervisors. Getting fired is not necessarily bad for a municipal employee. Many managers have been fired for unjust reasons, but go on to better positions and dismissal is sometimes a recommendation for another position, depending on the circumstances. Parks has chosen to destroy his chances of securing future employment by his immature and unprofessional behavior. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding Parks’ dismissal he should have the character to accept it gracefully, get on with his life and out of the hair of the city of Brewer. Wayne S. Porter Brewer