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Journal Opinion
On Doing the Devil's WorkThis editorial, a refresher on democracy and the First Amendment, is primarily for Mayor George M. McKelvey and intended as constructive criticism, the kind he said he welcomes June 22, when ground was broken for the convocation center.Our experience has been that the mayor, the most thin-skinned politician we've encountered, welcomes no criticism whatsoever. His efforts to use the $26.8 million Congress appropriated to build a convocation center in Youngstown for other, better purposes, while laudable, went nowhere. His path to the site where the complex will be built, between the South Avenue and Market Street bridges, started there and has ended there (albeit a bit closer to the South Avenue bridge than first proposed). But the tortured path wended its way through the downtown's West End and the near north side.This newspaper has raised questions about the feasibility of aconvocation center as well as how the site was chosen, and the $1.5 million paid the landowners. The mayor has interpreted this as "destructive criticism," and characterized those who raised suchquestions as "haters. There is no purpose for destructive criticism in this world," McKelvey said at the ground breaking. "It is the Devil's work." Raising questions about how our elected and appointed officials spend our tax dollars -- whether to build convocation centers, to prosecute the conflict in Iraq or increase taxes so school systems can buy art supplies -- is the role of interested citizens and the press. Maybe the mayor stayed home from school the day that was presented in civics class.Rarely do officials welcome questions about their judgment andunderstandably so. Citizen activists and opposing politicians, evenreporters and editorial writers, have been known to ask questions and offer opinions in less than polite, even hostile, tones.This nation has a rich history of challenging authority fairly andunfairly, of allowing even the most uninformed to ask questions ofauthority and present their views as well as those most engaged in the issues of the day. The premise is that by listening to as many points of view as feasible, our elected officials will deliberate, exercise their best judgment and come up with the best (but not necessarily perfect) solution. That's the premise.Public debate takes time, often gets sidetracked by deadenddigressions, and is hardly efficient. Often egos get bruised if notbattered. Such debate allows new facts to come to the fore and often what was thought to be so is shown not to be. Public debate often reinforces the conventional wisdom, thus strengthening the original plan. Whether God or the Devil is in the details can't be known without afree and open debate where all parties respect the right of theiradversaries to raise questions and express opinions, if not respectthose questions and opinions.Raising questions, and reporting information contrary to what a public official says, is not "the Devil's work." If it is, Satan is indeed a poor paymaster."