Food fight continues

To The Eagle,

With respect to Craig Brown’s letter in support of the Food Bank in Erickson Park, I don’t understand the need for an ad hominem attack when his case can be made objectively. I haven’t found that personal comments add to any civil discourse. Bur for the record, I am not from Houston unless having lived there periodically when rotated back to the United States qualifies. Mr. Brown could have easily called me a Frog, a Limey, a Libyan or a Tunisian (or, I suppose, a Red, a subversive or a Planning Commissioner). I don’t consider myself from Houston. I was born and raised on the West Coast and consider myself as such.

As for “getting my facts straight and shooting from the hip,” I can assure Mr. Brown that I rarely shoot from the hip. While I don’t have any personal knowledge of the business model for a food bank, I feel qualified to comment on contractual or project management matters. As Chief Negotiator (International) for a major oil company, all of its international agreements went through my office and I can assure Mr. Brown that I canvassed expertise well in advance of drafting any agreement. I think that if Ms. Heywood includes, among other input, completion guarantees, my Letter to the Editor will be justified. As Chief Engineer (International), the project development group came under my supervision, so I am aware of the pitfalls of unintended consequences and have observed them close up in Town matters.

Mr. Brown has presented a case for the Food Bank in the park, which is, no doubt, valid. It would attract more visitors to the park and might even ease the burden that societal changes have introduced here. On the other hand, his argument can be made for any location. Where we appear to disagree is what the purpose of a park is.

James Reed

Cathlamet