I live at Lakeland Hills, and down the hill is the City of Pacific, literally my next-door neighbor. I can’t help overhearing the screaming and cursing and the wailing of its residents. The unending woes of this neighbor of mine kind of affect me, too.

I’ve been reading with interests the Auburn Reporter’s news stories about it. Out of curiosity, I even went to its City Hall to meet Mayor Cy Sun. We only talked briefly, as he had lots of things to do that day.

I also got to see how the City Hall building and how the street fronting it looks like. It was like stepping back in time. The building is dilapidated and the street looked patchy. And the Senior Activity Center next to City Hall is also as dilapidated as the City Hall building. There were American flags sprouting out from some of the houses on that street, but they all looked frayed, drab and old as those buildings.

Mayor Sun told me that the “corruption” of its past administration was the reason he ran for mayor of this city. He said he wanted to clean up this corruption, and on this agenda, as we all know, the people of Pacific elected him to the position, as a write-in candidate.

According to Auburn Reporter’s news reports, on the first day of Mayor Sun’s meeting with the City Council, one of the members of the City Council berated him and told him “first thing tomorrow morning, you come to my house and present to me your war medals and credentials.”

Right after this incident, woes after woes befell on the mayor … and consequently on the city. Chaos reigned.

Most recently, as reported once again by Auburn Reporter, during a City Council meeting with some Pacific City residents in attendance, when Mayor Sun attempted to address the meeting, one of the council members told him that was “out of order.” An elected mayor about to speak to his constituents was prevented from speaking? Unbelievable. How strange that this mayor elected by the people of Pacific is being disrespected and talked down to in this way, over and over. It’s disgusting.

I also heard he was called “a freak and a gook.” How strange indeed, and disgusting. The City Council’s constant disrespect for this elected mayor is tantamount to disrespecting the people of Pacific who elected him. True, there is a “recall” for Mayor Sun, but is the whole town behind this recall? Or is it only the members of the City Council and their immediate families and friends, and the allies and friends of the past administration?

I don’t exactly know what’s going on? I am merely an outsider looking in. A “next-door neighbor,” so to speak, bothered by all the screaming and cursing that I overhear.

And, in reference to Mayor Sun’s guest editorial in the Dec. 14 issue of the Auburn Reporter, titled “Some questions about Pacific’s storm,” may I also ask these questions: “Who’s feeding the fire? Why the fire?”

Thank you for hearing me out.

– Jesse Jose