Independent review

We are newcomers to the area, having bought a home in Woodway only eight months ago. We do not personally know City Manager and Police Chief Yost Zakhary or resident Mike O’Bric. As the recent claims against Zakhary surfaced, the only thing that came to mind was how simple it should be to lay these charges to rest through full disclosure and an audit by a neutral third party. Professional, effective city leadership functions this way all over the world.

We are a retired military family and have lived in communities of all sizes throughout the United States and Europe. We fully expected Zakhary would lead such a charge himself. It is a hallmark of responsible, effective leadership in city government to respect the rights of its citizens to enjoy full confidence in its leadership through transparency over exactly the kinds of issues raised in this circumstance. Regrettably, such a course of action has not materialized.

Letters written to the Tribune-Herald on behalf of Zakhary in recent weeks seem no more than thinly veiled attempts by a small-town politician to call in personal favors. This raises our doubts about Zakhary’s character and ability to lead. 

We agree with the proposal made in Saturday’s Tribune-Herald guest column by Henry Walbesser: An independent review and full disclosure are the only way forward that is fair and just.  Sooner would be better than later for all of us.

Larry Adams-Thompson

U.S. Army Col., retired

Woodway 

Governor’s mansion

We taxpayers are paying $10,000 a month for a house for Gov. Rick Perry to live in. If he were to rent a house costing $1,000 a month — still well above the average for most Texans —he could save the state $9,000 a month or $108,000 a year.

This $108,000 could be spent on educating our children or providing services for our mentally ill.

Lola Hopper

Waco

* * *

I wonder what Gov. Rick Perry would say if I asked to take a dip in the heated pool at that seven-bedroom, seven-bath, three-dining room, gourmet kitchen rental home of his in the fancy gated Austin community for which I, and all other Texas taxpayers, have footed the bill, to the tune of around $600,000?

I’m reminded of a George Strait song: “There’s a difference in living and living well.” Perry is living well.

Rita W. Jones

Axtell

History forgotten

It’s interesting that the lead story in Sunday’s newspaper was about a baseball game, and the only mention of a historic event, such as  June 6, 1944 — the day of the Normandy landings initiating the Western allied effort to liberate mainland Europe  from Nazi occupation during World War II — was mentioned in the comics.

Mary Jane Aiken

Waco

Is Rome burning?

With the economy in shambles, the Gulf oil disaster, never-ending wars and President Barack Obama’s hosting weekly celebrity White House parties, it reminds one of Nero fiddling while Rome burned.

Emil Heugatter

U.S. Army Sgt. Maj., retired

Waco