Open letter to Deputy Mayor Sebrena Combs, to Council members Julie Berberich, Brian Daniels and Jill Valerius as well as candidate for city council Lee Hendricksen and those members of Matsu Moms for Social Justice

This Open Letter is in response to the closing comments of the City of Palmer council meeting by Deputy Mayor Combs, 14 Sept, 2021.

In a nutshell, her comments indicated that she was concerned that we, whom are fighting against her and the other three council members, actions, are not based in talking to her about her believes or who she is. Let me be very clear to all four persons in question.

This is not, repeat not personal. I try very hard to not do so. However, our opposition has been toward the policies and what those outcomes would be as to our personal liberties and freedoms.

Deputy Mayor Combs with the support of the other three council members and Moms for Social Justice, pushed for mandating masks in the City of Palmer, at first tried and failed to do so under an emergency order with Mayor Edna DeVries blocking. This would have, among other things, put a requirement that businesses must enforce up to and calling the police, if not, unspecified actions would be taken against those businesses. She along with the other three and with support of Moms for Social Justice went after the Palmer Police Chief for a FB post, if memory serves, he wrote before he was the Chief and that was clearly his opinion, not as a police officer! He was cleared of those accusations. The council chambers were full with people standing in line to support the Police Chief! She, again with the support of the three and Moms for Social Justice tried and failed again to put forward an oversight committee of 7 to review police actions and to dictate the training of those police officers. That failed because like with other similar actions, we the freedom loving people showed up and the Moms for Social Justice people felt “intimidated” and “fearful for their safety”. In point of fact those members of Moms for Social Justice were to present at 7 PM, however they withdrew at 6 PM, over concerns for their safety, in one of the biggest displays of cowardliness I have seen in quite awhile. Yet, not once in that or other hearings was there any violence, unlawful push back or indication of potential violence against those persons. Bottom line, they feared because they knew they were wrong and it would not pass! In point of fact Moms for Social Justice supported and encouraged a Black Lives Matters (BLM) protest on the heels of BLM and ANTIFA violence in the Lower 48. Fortunately it was by in large a “peaceful” protest calling for violence “No Justice, No Peace”.

Those are but three times that we, the people of Palmer and Greater Palmer opposed policy attempts. Those attempted policies would have, in the case of mask mandate violated our freedoms and promoted a socialist and yes dictatorial government. As I said in my previous testimony, the attacks on the Police and Police Chief was designed to further those socialist policies and outcomes.

In closing. After the vote to kill the mask mandate, I thanked the Deputy Mayor for following the direction of the majority of testimony, 68% no. I did so with sincerity. Sadly the response I got back was anything but sincere. I was at the Valley Republican Women’s booth at the fair. I saw the Deputy Mayor, eyes forward and marching past the booth. The facial and body language stated volumes of her hate and disdain for those of us at the booth. Thus, why would I want to engage with the Deputy Mayor as she asked when I know the reaction I will receive? I will use the public forum of public testimony to support or oppose ordinances put forward by the City Council based on that policy direction and what I believe the outcome of those proposals will be.

Mike Coons is a resident of Palmer.