Neighbors first

Tensions have been a bit high in Siloam Springs of late, at least when it comes to leadership within the community. When a group of residents forms specifically to seek a recall election of two city directors, it’s pretty clear something is amiss.

Directors David Allen and Lesa Rissler are targets of a group called United Siloam. The group formed March 8, the day after Allen and Rissler joined two other directors to approve the firing of City Administrator Phillip Patterson just a few months after the board of directors voted to retain Patterson for another year and give him a raise.

Such behaviors always raise questions. Discussion about Patterson took place in a 90-minute executive session, outside the eyes and ears of the public because it was a personnel matter. Director Mindy Hunt has shared her view that nothing shared in the executive session amounted, in her view, to a fireable offense.

The mystery of it all lends itself to questions and concerns about personal “agendas” among city leaders.

It’s not a good look for Siloam Springs, but it can also be said sweeping differences under the rug wouldn’t be healthy, either.

Citizens are empowered by law to seek a recall and if enough of them want to activate that process, so be it. In the meantime, Siloam Springs still needs leadership that reduces, rather than wide, divisions.

That was, in effect, the advice of Tim Estes, chairman of the board for the Siloam Springs Chamber of Commerce, who spoke of potential future residents and companies watching what Siloam Springs does.

“Just as weeds grow exponentially faster than vegetables,” Estes said, “so negativism and division can drive a wedge quickly between otherwise mostly agreeable people before goodness gets out of the ground. … But if we fail to treat one another with high levels of dignity and respect and divide into camps and panel petitions for further division, we can kiss many of these people and their ensuing opportunities goodbye.”

Siloam Springs isn’t the only place in the country where lines are being drawn and tensions are high. People just seem to be ready to fight these days. We don’t suggest there aren’t issues to work out, but especially at the local level, it’s critically important to find ways to hash out difference respectfully. Everyone, if they try, can be civil.