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Show A free press is watchdog During the brouhaha at the March Mar-ch 13 Bountiful City Council meeting between Council woman Renee Coon and Mayor Robert Unwell, the underlining third party often blamed for the explosive nature of events was the media. , PAUL CHALLIS Staff Reporter Several council members blamed the press for the troubles and the exploitation of the woes and squabbles by Bountiful officials as did some of the citizens during the three-minute each public forum portion por-tion of the meeting. It's always easy to blame someone else and the press is very often the scapegoat, especially espe-cially by politicians. If you don't like the message, blame the messenger. Councilman Leslie Foy gave an eloquent speech about the Bill of Rights (which celebrates its 200th anniversary this year) and the Constitution Con-stitution during the meeting and suggested the whole matter should not be aired or tried in the press. I completely disagree with that statement, and the last time I looked, look-ed, freedom of the press was mentioned men-tioned in that same sacred document. docu-ment. Foy referred to the Richard Nixon, Watergate episode, one event that really showed America the importance of a free press and freedom of the press. The First Amendment addresses religious establishment and freedom of speech, of the press, and right of petition. "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment estab-lishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging abridg-ing the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition peti-tion the government for a redress of grievances. ' ' Councilman Harold Shafter said during the meeting that everybody is laughing at Bountiful City and said the press had made a "heyday out of this thing." He urged Coon not to say anything to the press anymore and to not air the city business in the press. Kind of a narrow view, I think. I don't believe anyone at the Davis County Clipper did anything but report what had happened in public meetings or publish materials mate-rials furnished to the paper by either the mayor himself or Coun-cilwoman Coun-cilwoman Coon. We have a right and responsibility to report what happens in open meetings and also to inform our readers of the business busi-ness of the city. I can't see how anyone can blame this newspaper or any other medium of the press, for that matter, for the conflicts and confrontations con-frontations that have taken place the last few weeks in Bountiful City government Freedom of the press has been guaranteed for 200 years and in this particular matter, I have seen no abuses of that privilege in any shape or form. j F h h On Tuesday, March 26 at 7 p.m. a very important Planning and Zoning Zon-ing Commission meeting will be held at the Bountiful City Hall conference con-ference room where developers Johansen-Thackeray and Company i will be presenting the conceptual j drawing of the proposed six-anchor store shopping center for downtown j Bountiful. I It will be a great opportunity for j Bountiful residents to take a good, j close look at the planned 180,000 j square foot project. The developers j and architect for the project will be there and are seeking public input as is the planning commission. j I would like to urge all interested j citizens to come to the meeting and j get a feel for the project the Redevelopment Agency is trying to ! use to help rejuvenate the Main Street area. i Planning Commission Chairman Cheryl Okubo perhaps summed up j the situation the best by saying the I development could have an impact on the future of Bountiful for many years to come. Although the project is still in the planning stages and not even a certain cer-tain thing yet, it is a good time for ' Bountiful citizens to get involved in the process and to get their two cents' worth in about it. |