Recordings were made to verify meeting actions

To the editor:

I have been troubled by the events that have occurred at the Cape Girardeau County Commission over the last few months. Increasingly I have noticed inconsistencies in what is said and done from one commission meeting to another. I have pointed out these inconsistencies in meetings and have been told by other commissioners things like "You misunderstood" or "That's the way you remember it, but that's not the way it happened."

In an attempt to secure a record of what occurs at the county commission, I started recording the meetings four to six weeks ago. It now appears that there is an element that is trying to discredit me for these recordings instead of addressing the real issue, which is the need for a true, accurate record of what occurs at the county commission.

One of life's true constants is: Doing what is right is rarely the easy thing to do. I have been pressured from all sides about whether I should or shouldn't release the recordings. With that in mind I will ask the attorney general's office to weigh in on this issue and give me counsel.

Even though I strongly disagree with the events that occurred over the last week, I will accept it and move on. I will not complain, nor will I challenge the actions of the commissioners from last Monday where the other commissioners stripped me of many of my duties. For the good of Cape Girardeau County, it must stop here.

JAY PURCELL, 2nd District Commissioner, Cape Girardeau County Commission