John Gaccione

Date: 09/10/2022
Subject: Helmsmanship
From: The Memo Desk

Avast & ahoy mateys! Over at the Politics Group a prominent Save Kensington’s Future steering committee member is holding forth. His focus is rebutting Police Chief Gancasz’s statements concerning inadequacies of SKF’s Public Safety Building alternate plan. Arrg!

The SKF exec was replying to a post by Mabry Benson enumerating the Police Chief’s comments. As per the SKF exec (…a lawyer) the Chief failed to describe the additional services a “contemporary” police department needs that are missing from the SKF’s alternate plan. And the Chief’s claim of the need for added growth for the police department.

Chief Gancasz’s opinion that the SKF’s plan had “zero growth for the police department” apparently struck a nerve. Because the SKF exec asks why would the police services need to grow when the likelihood of the population expanding in any significant way is limited. Expansive police services are needed for communities with a high level of violent crimes and our serene hamlet continues to enjoy a low crime rate, the SKF exec notes.

Statistically the crime rate is low, but unfortunately in recent history our serene hamlet has had two homicides. In 2011 a man was found dead in the park and the case was declared a homicide. In 2012 a man was stabbed to death by a women acquaintance. The stabbing case was solved by the KPD from evidence found at the crime scene, but the park case remains unresolved.

The idea our small community may not benefit from an upgrading of evidence processing and evidence storage may not hold water. So when someone writes, “We have neither a high level of violent crime nor a large need for evidence storage. Never have, likely never will.”, it has the look and smell of bilgewater.

Some would say there is deep irony in the political positions the SKF exec is voicing. After years of turning a blind eye to a crew of unethical, unprofessional rogue police officers who cost Kensington taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars in law suits, he now claims we can ill afford new police facilities and services. Good grief mate!

Sadly, we the taxpayers would have to bear the burden of the short-term thinking being put forth by the Save Kensington’s Future folks. Can I get an epiphany?

“It is a far, far better thing to have a firm anchor in nonsense than to put on the troubled seas of thought.” (John Kenneth Galbraith)

Note: Satire alert, some content may not be suitable for saving Kensington’s future.