To the Salem City Council re: Minto-Brown easement proposal

[John Gear]

There are a couple of ideas that seem to have gotten misplaced as the city has considered the easements that would prevent 200 acres of land on Minto-Brown Island from ever being used for community gardens or for Food Share. One is “Treat others as you would like to be treated.”

When I was a young ensign in the Navy, one night as Christmas approached, I found a wallet in a totally deserted parking lot when I got off my shift. That wallet had more than $2,000 in it, well more than my monthly pay. As Christmas approached, our student loans and the rent and heat alone were taking care of most of that pay.  That $2,000 seemed like it would solve all my problems. And, believe you me, I was tempted – very tempted – to put it in my pocket. Even though I ultimately didn't, I won't pretend it was easy.  I wanted it and would have dearly loved enjoying my windfall at someone else's expense.

The only thing I had to do to keep the money - - - the thing I found I couldn't do - - - was decide that I could justify doing something wrong because I wanted it bad enough and because no one could stop me.

That's the situation we're in here in Salem.  We've got a chance at what some see as a windfall.  And what we're going to learn Monday night is whether there's a majority on the city council who will decide that doing what's right means doing whatever no one can stop them from doing.

Whether ignoring the City's own Parks Advisory Board is right.  Whether twisting the clear language of a master plan to pretend that slashing agriculture in the park is the same as continuing it is right.  Whether selling off control of land the city holds in trust for its residents is right.  Whether it's right to keep justifying multiple failures in public notice and involvement because of deadlines that prove not to be deadlines at all.

If there's a reconsideration motion on the easements Monday night, I hope the City Council can look up from the dollar signs long enough to consider an idea that follows from the Golden Rule: “As ye sow, so shall ye reap.”