To the editor:

If you have any appreciation of history, you would see how disturbingly easy it is to substitute the words “witch” or “communist” for “member of the Crestwood Smart Growth Alliance.”

I refer of course to the SunCrest Call mayoral candidate questionnaire in which the question “Are you now or have you ever been a member of the Crestwood Smart Growth Alliance?” is posed. This is not the first time the Call, and even a few Crestwood aldermen, have made this McCarthyesque type of reference not only to the CSGA, but to the Boegeman family and anyone associated with them.

Why are the members of these groups being treated with such venom? The CSGA and the Boegeman family have every right to pursue their goals, which are neither sinister nor secret. The Boegeman family knows some of the Crestwood aldermen want to redevelop the site on which their property is located and are probably holding out for the best deal. Who wouldn’t? Certainly former Alderman Gary Vincent can appreciate that.

Kelley Isherwood of the CSGA has attended Crestwood board meetings. Does he have a right to attend the meetings and voice his opinion, regardless of whether or not he is a Crestwood resident? Yes. Is the content of his commentary relevant to Crestwood affairs? Yes. As the CSGA is a private entity, is he under any obligation to release the names of its members? Absolutely not. Do his actions irritate a few board members as well as the editor of the Call?

Most definitely, yes, as was illustrated in the July 22 issue of the Call in its coverage and editorial regarding the petition for the state audit. Mike Anthony’s smarmy comments about whom we can thank for the state audit reveal a total lack of circumspection on his part. Does it matter who mobilized the petition drive for the state audit?

Whether it was the CSGA, the Boegemans or any other interested party, the fact remains that enough residents signed the petition to pursue the audit, and if you believe Tom Fagan, all of those residents were simpletons who allowed themselves to be misled by the evil CSGA.

It may come as a surprise to Messrs. Anthony and Fagan, but there are plenty of politically savvy Crestwood residents who have the capacity to judge issues on their merits and arrive at their own conclusions.

The fact that these conclusions do not reflect the opinions held by Mr. Fagan is no indication at all that people were misled, even though Mr. Fagan — surprise — continues to assume that anyone who does not agree with him must be misinformed.

It simply reveals that quite a few people are not happy with how the board is handling the city’s finances in the wake of the forensic audit and believe Crestwood would benefit from a more objective audit.

Were Mr. Anthony’s “outing” of the residents and non-residents who collected petition signatures not so reminiscent of shameful historical events it would be laughable. It would behoove Mr. Anthony to recall that Mr. Miguel, who collected 68 signatures — the very idea — had been concerned about the city’s finances and was not getting an adequate response from the board, so, following former Mayor Robertson’s suggestion, ran for alderman. Part of his referendum included closer scrutiny of the city’s spending, and fully 70 percent of the voters in Ward 3 elected him to the board.

Why should Mr. Miguel’s actions at the time be held so contemptuously? Are those who elected him to be considered CSGA sympathizers as well? The issue of fiscal responsibility is moot; enough people felt it worth the expense to investigate the city’s finances using an entity other than the firm which the city chose. Which is more fiscally sound: spending $42,600 on a state audit or overriding a hiring freeze and arbitrarily spending $62,000 to hire an unproven city employee?

It is truly ironic that Mr. Anthony hopes the state petition process isn’t a political witch hunt, as evidence indicates he is conducting a witch hunt of his own.

Martha Duchild

Crestwood