By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
During the public comment portion of the meeting of the Parsons City Council, Mike Rosenau addressed the council. Rosenau said he was speaking not in his capacity of President of the Tucker County Commission, but as a private citizen of the City of Parsons to address the matter of the redesign of the seal that arose at the council’s previous meeting.
“I’m here as a resident of the City of Parsons,” Rosenau said. “I’ve lived in Parsons for 65 years. I’m not here as a County Commissioner. I want to make that clear to everybody.”
“Since my Dad’s name was brought up at the last City Council meeting, I wanted to clarify a couple of things.”
“I’ve done hours of research in the last week concerning this seal” Rosenau said. “And the reason I’m doing it is because Dad’s name was mentioned.”
Rosenau informed the Council that the seal in debate was accepted as a new design in 2014 and supplied the Council members with a copy of a newspaper article from October 29, 2014 that addressed the new City seal designed by city employee Jason Myers. “This was 2014,” Rosenau said. “My Dad died in 2009. So, Dad did not sit under this seal. I just want to make that clear.”
Mayor Bruce Kolsun acknowledged that he made an incorrect statement regarding former Mayor Bill Rosenau, Mike Rosenau father, and the seal at the previous meeting. “I misspoke,” Kolsun said. “I told you that when I spoke to you on the phone. I misspoke and I apologize to you for that.”
Rosenau asked the Council if Jason Myers was still employed by the City. Auvil said that Myers was. Rosenau suggested that if the City decides to redesign the seal in the future, that they consider utilizing Myers again. “So, Jason is the one that designed this seal,” Roseanu said. “So, if you decide to change your seal, I would go to the man that designed your last one. He’s still an employee here.”
Rosenau also suggested that if the seal were to be redesigned in the future that stationary could be instantly updated digitally since most letterhead isn’t mass printed like it was before digital technology and that any motions concerning the seal could include language that would update the seal on equipment as that equipment is replaced in years to come.
“That is the only thing that I wanted to make sure that you knew,” Rosenau said, “that Dad didn’t sit under the current seal, the seal of the City of Parsons is you all’s decision. It’s not mine.”
Rosenau also addressed an issue he had with a question he said was brought to him concerning the look of the municipal building that bears his father’s name as being “not very pretty.” “Here’s the thing, I don’t think it’s very funny,” Rosenau said. “My Dad signed off on every architectural plan, as well as the council did at that time. So, if I took offense at anything, I took offense at that because he was proud of this building.”
Rosenau went on to say that he remembered his father sitting up at night at the kitchen table working on grants to fund the building and furniture within. “He worked for grant after grant after grant at our kitchen table up Smoke Hollow,” Rosenau said. “I saw him pour over documents and documents.”
Rosenau said he considers the building to be a “great addition to our town.” “So as far as I’m concerned, I think it’s is a great addition to our town,” Rosenau said.