Clarification in Natzke matter

Just so you know, I don't like Koolaid. According to the head of the IT department for Hot Springs Village, Charles Williams, "the e-blast system used in Hot Springs Village was designed as a newsletter system. It was not set up to, nor could it, transmit emergency information."

He added, the new system that came online earlier this week is designed to broadcast emergency information through e-mails. It is available for sign up now on the POA website. The Village now has a system that does what I originally assumed e-blast would do. I stand corrected for my earlier assumption and we all know what happens when you assume.

As far as citing Middleton's and my failure to follow up quickly enough. I was just stating facts, not fiction. Hindsight is always 20/20, backseat drivers and weekend quarterbacks are usually not in possession of the facts and if presented with the facts often finds them inconsequential.

I live and work in the Village. I have a cordial relationship with the police. I find one can get more information with honey over vinegar any day. Something commentators not familiar with the Village fail to understand is that the police force in the Village is dual commissioned. They earn their credentials from both the Saline and Garland County Sheriff's Departments. When Sheriff's Department personnel are not available to go out on a call and Village Police are, the Village police will take the call within a certain radius outside the Village.

We had a murder in the Village in April of 2010. The murder was discovered on a Friday and solved by Monday afternoon. Local press was informed of the murder Saturday morning in a phone call from Chief Cornett. That was the second murder in the Village in 40 years. One neighbor beat another neighbor to death.

The Hot Springs Village Department is small, there are only two CID officers. They are both educated in law enforcement and bring experience from former law enforcement employment. Other officers on the force are equally competent. Yes, our police reports are funny. I had one that was featured by both David Letterman and Jay Leno on their late night shows. The members of the force have a wide range of experience from dealing with meth labs to dealing with elderly people with dementia that have been dumped in the Village by estranged families.

The men and women of our police department handle each and every case with patience and respect. Dawna Natzke was a part of the team. Why would the department do less for her than they would for anyone else. They loved her. To suppose they dropped the ball because you are not privy to the facts is ridiculous.

As I stated before the only stinky matter here was Chief Cornett refusing to answer my question in the initial press conference, "where was the party?" He said, "I'm just not going to answer that." I winked at him to further rattle him. He is a fun guy and I have enjoyed interviewing him in the past. I didn't like that he felt he had to cover for POA general manager Scott Randall. Randall has show that his decision making skills are not up to par and I for one hope his days in the Village are numbered. His temporary predecessor and POA board president Jerry Kosoglow was instrumental in bringing Randall to the Village and he should go, too.

Living here in the Village has given me the big picture in this matter. I know the people behind the job titles. For the most part they are good people. Kosoglow and Randall do not fit that description.

Randall recently indicated he wanted publicity for the Village. Unfortunately, the kind of publicity he has brought to the Village we could do without.