Whether you’re a fan of embattled City Manager Steve Thompson or not, the actions by City Council Monday night, especially those of Chairman Frank Recker, should be of great concern to you. On that note, I have some questions.

If firing Thompson was the right thing to do, wasn’t it worth doing the right way? None of the issues noted by Recker constituted an emergency, so why not place it on the next City Council agenda, and give people on both sides proper notice to speak?

I hate to deal in rumors, but I started hearing that this issue might come up around the middle of last week. Since it did, one might even argue there was enough time to put proper notice before this meeting. So if the issue was being contemplated, why not place it on the agenda?

It appears one of the main problems you have with Thompson is transparency. Yet you fire him in a less than transparent way. Therefore, and by that logic, shouldn’t you resign?

Three council members wanted more time to do a more formal review. Was it really in the city’s best interest to rush this along? With all the ongoing issues this city has, the expense to pay Thompson out and a search for a new manager, is this a fiscally sound decision? Especially in these times? Was it not worth taking a week or two to digest?

With so little public discussion among the council members, how in the heck did a consensus of four councilmen happen so quickly?

On that note, I’ve heard a lot of rumors that I won’t share here. I hope they’re not true. But their mere existence tells me that this issue should have been handled with more care.

It’s never too late to do the right thing. I ask the City Council to rescind their vote. Give this a proper hearing. If this outcome was just, it will stand.