Thursday, July 17, 2008 10:29 PM CDT
COLUMN: "Here rests Robert 'Sandy' Patterson. He gave his all to picket City Hall."
By HARRY REYNOLDS, Editorial page editor
hreynolds@jg-tc.com
The city of Charleston’s 5-day eviction notice to Charleston Lake resident Robert “Sandy’ Patterson has stirred a hornet’s nest.
Patterson, a retired decorated Vietnam veteran, owns a sick heart.
The eviction notice was handed to Patterson on Friday, July 11, after the JG/T-C published a letter on Thursday, July 10 from Patterson.
Patterson’s letter rapped city officials for spending money to remodel City Hall. He said the money could have been used for things the city really needs to do, such as upgrading sewers and repairing streets.
The notice stated Patterson would be evicted in five days if he didn’t pay the current installment on his housing lease at the Lake Island Tract, owned by the city.
Nobody wants to be evicted in five days, even former military veterans with bum tickers.
Steve Harrison, a Charleston businessman, who owns a home in Charleston and one at the lake, told me Thursday a number of people donated money to pay the balance of Patterson’s current installment on his housing lease.
Patterson had paid part of the lease bill, but was withholding the balance of the payment in protest because the city failed to pay for damage to his home when a tree on city-owned property fell on it.
The tree policy at the lake requires leaseowners to report a tree to the city if it appeared to be in danger of falling.
Patterson ended up paying over $2,000 to repair his home. He thinks it’s the city’s responsibly to keep an eye on their trees, not leaseholders.
What would happen if the policy was applied to homeowners living in Charleston. I assume a homeowner would be responsible for the bill to repair his home if a vertically impaired tree crashed.
Patterson has written a number of letters on the tree-falling-on-my-house issue. And he isn’t exactly happy about the prospect of losing his home to a bulldozer sometime next year.
Patterson isn’t a rich man. A tank of gas would probably bankrupt him. Drawing Social Security Disability — his only source of income — will do that to a man.
Patterson doesn’t have another house in the 50 states. He did his duty for his country and he keeps his lawn mowed. He probably eats apple pie. He doesn’t deserve this.
The picket sign he wielded outside City Hall carried on the long-ingrained American inclination to rebel.
This strange habit isn’t limited to anything worth rebelling against. We don’t need a reason.
Patterson’s picket themes, “Your Tax Dollars at Waste” and “Fiscal Responsibility,” are the only the latest since the colonists fought the British over what they considered unfair taxation.
There were, of course, other grievances, but what Americans resented most was being taxed “without representation (which is a reason suspect given the fact many patriots facilitating the rebellious spirit didn’t want to live under British rule).”
Complaints leveled against Patterson in some of our JG/T-C online comments focused on the fact he picketed barely an hour. If there are rules for proper picketing, I’ve never heard, of them.
I’ve never hoisted a picket sign, either, but I imagine 60 minutes on a hot day might be difficult for someone with heart problems. Patterson could have spent hours picketing.
The tombstone might read, “Here rests Robert ‘Sandy’ Patterson. He gave his all to picket City Hall.”
Harrison, in a letter in Thursday’s newspaper, said a fundraiser is planned to help Patterson’s pay for legal expenses in connection with a possible lawsuit against the city.
“He’s had a belly full. He’s an old warrior,” Harrison said.
Maybe you don’t like fundraisers, maybe you don’t like veterans, maybe you don’t like your mother, or even your dog.
Still, it should prove to be an interesting fundraiser. Harrison also advised people to watch for notice of the upcoming fundraiser at which various testimony of official misconduct claims will be aired and, with luck, scandal expose features in area broadcast and print media.”
I took a gander at a couple more online comments on the Patterson thing and the City Hall renovation. They are as follows:
St. Peter Chanel:
n " This is not news but a comic. Mr. Patterson has embarrassed himself on this one! To be fortunate enough to have this low of a lease payment and ungrateful enough to pay it. What a freeloader.
This comic belonged on the front page in the "Top This" section or with the comics not on the front page. "
low rider wrote:
n " it's a shame how the big heads only care about status and the look of "their" building. what about all of the tax payers. we want nice sidewalks and streets. how can the city afford this beautification of the hall? how can they afford all of the new vehicles driven by the city hall employees? is anyone making city hall accountable for OUR money? this would never be the case under the general. Although i too, thought a change was needed with a mayor, i now regret that as inyart is a cowardly lion. the city has become a joke and laughing stock! is there no hope for our great city anymore?? can we find bill riebbe (old city manager) and beg him to come back and clean up the waste brought on by the "acting" city manager / rec. dept. cry baby? can the general still help? "
I called the city manager, city attorney and mayor’s offices before cobbling this column together.
They didn’t get back to me, but I am willing to attribute that to the fact they are very busy people.
I wonder what Robert “Sandy” Patterson will do when the bulldozers come. He has proven to be a tough old bird, bad heart and all.
Over the course of the nearly 40 years I have worked for this newspaper, I’ve gotten to know a number of independent-minded, not-reluctant-to-speak individuals.
Patterson is one of those people. He’s willing to sign his name to criticism, something anonymous online commentors are afraid to do.
I respect that in any human being.
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Responsible Party wrote on Jul 17, 2008 11:48 PM: