EDITORIAL, again: Curtis and Brooke are now bullying young people

An editorial by John Estridge

I have tried to use mirth in discussing the Brookville Town Council proclivities for bullying and really bad decision making.

However, with recent events, there must be a much deeper, more serious approach.

Curtis, Brooke, bullying young women at the pool? How much courage does that take? I would ask what were you thinking, but it has become apparent beyond gazing at your individual reflections in the mirror, you two apparently do not think about much.

Among the many people you have bullied in 2021, that big club now includes an older woman and a young woman.

One should not be shocked when dealing with Curtis and Brooke, but they continually shock me.

Apparently, the young women who work at the pool were trained admirably to be lifeguards using the Red Cross Swimming and Water Safety Course. They know how to save people in the pool and how to keep them safe from lightning.

Common sense is water and lightning do not mix, but it is even worse for municipal pools. Municipal pools have pipes in the ground so a strike in the area of the pool could be as deadly as a strike in the pool. The young ladies understood that and took steps to protect those people at the pool.

However, their actions did not 100 percent follow what Brooke Leffingwell wrote in her pool policy manual because she did not base it on the Red Cross training. So, Brooke and Curtis Ward came down hard on the young ladies for not following their words to the letter. And they bullied them, with at least one young person resigning due to their treatment.

From all accounts, what the young woman did was the very correct thing to do. You guys made the mistake with your policy that was written by Brooke, and you are so arrogant you could not believe 1. You had made a mistake and 2. That someone would actually stand up and tell you, you are wrong.

And stop blaming your fellow council members.

According to Makenna Mays’ article, Curtis, you said it was not fair to people in the audience to point to you two when the whole board voted for the policy. For once in your lives take the high road: Admit you are wrong and publicly apologize to the young lady or ladies you have hurt who had the courage to do what was right and correct. They should receive an award from the town, instead of what you two have done to them.

I applaud the young people at the pool for standing their ground and doing what was in the best interest of the town’s citizens. That took courage, something apparently still in short supply on town council.

But there was some movement toward putting down the Kool-Aid by the other council members at least in this instance. However, it was and is not enough. Chuck, Eric and Cathy are you beginning to see what others have been trying to get you to see? You are blindly following selfish bullies with hidden agendas and arrogance unmatched in this community in recent history.

And I hope you three understand Curtis threw you under the bus, which is a prime symptom of a cowardly bully.

Also, Curtis said he and Brooke bullied the young people because the pool was repeatedly closing early. I checked that out. The young lady in question said the town administrator told her that if there are less than 10 people at the pool after 5:30 p.m., she should close the pool. After Lord Curtis told her that would not be done at his pool, she stopped doing that.

The pool closed early four times during the summer. Here are the instances: once at 6:30 when two people were at the pool; around 6:30 when three people were at the pool and it was raining; a third time five people were at the pool and for the entire day the pool had made $35 on entry fees, it closed at 6:15; and a fourth when it had rained the entire day.

Also, another manager was hired who apparently has no lifeguard or CPR training, which really just confused the entire situation, according to more than one report.

One more thing about this pool situation: You two should publicly apologize to the young lady you bullied in that instance and to the rest of the employees at the pool that had to put up with your bullying and arrogant attitudes. I have heard you asked the person in question to call you in private and you would maybe give her an apology. Again, this is just another example of unmitigated arrogance on your part. She should not have to do anything. You are in the wrong. It is on you, Curtis and you, Brooke.

Make it an unequivocal public apology. Don’t say there is more to this story or more to that conversation, Brooke. Put down the shovel and publicly apologize to this individual and these employees.

Then, do a blanket public apology for all the other people you have bullied this year. I wish both of you would do the best thing for this town by resigning, but I don’t see that happening because of your wildly inflated egos.

If this were an anomaly, that would be one thing, but this is the proverbial tip of the iceberg. And, unfortunately, the taxpayers are left rearranging the furniture on Titanic’s deck.

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