Paid election letter: Purcell adversarial at local debate

Dear Editor,

At the last Pachyderm meeting May 17, when commissioner candidate Jay Purcell was allowed the opportunity to present his candidacy, he truly showed his colors. Instead of showing his appreciation to the Pachyderms for the invitation, he came right out of the box combative and adversarial. I would think any candidate would want to project a positive image and extol his record. This was the first time all three 2nd District commissioners were allowed the venue of presenting themselves to the public. Purcell opened up with the statement that he saw some friends in the room, and that he saw some enemies, and then he called me out by name. How honored I am to be a part of his "enemies list," much like Richard Nixon and now Barack Obama maintain. I shall wear this badge proudly.

When he was asked about the unionization of county employees, he called it a "gotcha question." Is this because that several former co-workers have stated Purcell was instrumental in starting a union at a local manufacturing plant? Oh yeah, that plant closed soon afterward and the jobs were lost. Purcell said he did not have a particular problem with government employees unionizing. The only problem is that governments do not produce profits that you can derive increased pay and benefits from. No, they produce debt that is an increasing burden on the taxpayers. But hey, what would you expect from a politician that saddled the county with a $26,350 legal bill, for three self-inflicted lawsuits that he lost?

Respectfully,

JAMES C. ROCHE', 3137 County Road 349, Jackson, MO 63755