I am ashamed of the Auburn councilors who took dead aim at Bob Mennealy by attempting to link him to Stalin or McCarthy for his attempts to bring forward truths about the city manager.

Is this any different than the manager asking for a review of the police department?

Since his election, Mennealy has done an admirable job of asking tough questions, bringing out facts and refusing to go along with the status quo. He is living up to the mandate he was elected under – to be a watchdog for the citizens of Auburn who have questions about the hotel, parking garages, new city hall, costs of construction and taxes.

He will not simply accept the spin coming from city leadership. Mennealy asks tough questions about actual costs for development, sweet deals that developers may be getting and how it all affects our taxes. When he gets those answers, he lets us all know. I like that.

I am in agreement with Mennealy that questions should be asked of city professionals who are experts in their fields. The city manager should trust her staff with answering questions from the public and from councilors. I don’t want spin, I want facts.

My real concern now is that those same councilors who are negatively labeling Mennealy will be working hard to totally muzzle him. We can’t let this happen. All towns need a Mennealy. We need to support Bob as he goes about the business of the city.

Charlene McPhee, Auburn