To the editor:

It’s disheartening to watch the Lawrence City Commission stonewall efforts to repair the damage it has inflicted upon itself with the Deciphera debacle. We now know unprecedented deals were cut behind closed doors, with, it now seems, at least some input of commissioners with financial interests in the company involved.

The commissioners are now only too happy to agree to a simple mea culpa and a few hours of Open Meetings Law training in exchange for making the controversy disappear. But as long as the Deciphera deal that goes forward is the one crafted under such egregious circumstances, the only losers will be those individuals who care about an ethical and transparent city government.

The commission must reconsider the Deciphera package under the proper legal and ethical standards that should have guided this process from the beginning. If it truly is a good deal for the city, then the proposal will succeed on its own merits. And if the commission continues to refuse to redo this transaction, we have to ask: Why be so afraid to right an admitted wrong?

Finally, regarding Bonnie Lowe’s puzzling quote that the commission has “the trust and respect of the citizens of Lawrence,” I wonder where she found the authority to speak on our community’s behalf. Certainly, no resident I’ve spoken to has proffered such glowing testimonials, and I know that my trust and respect goes solely to leaders who not only admit their errors, but take substantive steps to correct them.

Richard Andrade,

Lawrence