First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and you win!
Mahatma Gandhi
When I first became aware of the “Letter to the Editor authored by Ms. Paula Fagre” appearing in the August 10, 2023, Number 32, Volume 136, edition of the Alcester Union-Hudonsite” newspaper, I balanced my choices. Play verbal chicken with a flightless bird, initiate a verbal duel with a saber versus an epee or ‘psycho-analyzing’ the statements made in the letter to the editor. With that said, let’s start with the paragraph-by-paragraph approach below (the red italicized paragraphs) and determine whether I should call the chicken out or give a sharp slashing poke.
¶1 “It has been a long couple of months, after anticipating what turned out to be an EMERGENCY MEETING by the Alcester City Council on 7/2/4/2023. I will humbly admit that I did not handle myself well under the stress, but I did send a formal apology by letter to this current council for my upset, and my quietly rude gestures-all while they discussed in these endless private executive sessions…”
Humbly Ms. Fagre? Under stress, Ms. Fagre? I see no humility and I question your choice of blaming your questionable behavior on stress. You were not the subject of the executive session. You sent a formal apology by letter for your upset and your quietly rude gestures??? What is this too little, too late? A variation on the attitude of, “it is better to apologize than ask for permission…” Madam you state. “… quietly rude gestures…”. Are you aware you were in a public government building during a meeting in which an executive session was in process and you were just outside the door stomping and wildly gesticulating at the council in executive session? You were in effect obstructing and threatening with your gestures, government officials in a closed meeting. Duh?
¶2 “I wanted to reply to some of the comments made at City Council in regard to my artwork hanging in City Hall, and the Community Event Center in Alcester, SD. Some of the comments made were alluding to the fact that hanging art in a public space is practically a crime…”
Ms. Fagre, madame artiste there was no allusion to a crime, I merely asked questions why the City of Alcester in the guise of FO Pat Jurrens who appeared to be working as a gallerist for a private and apparently for-profit entity. The walls of Alcester City Hall and the Alcester Community Center were in effect damaged and or vandalized for the purposes of displaying this personal art show. I asked the question, was the city being reimbursed for this ongoing display, the cleaning of this art display, the liability for this art display and the employee time spend in managing and cleaning this display. The city is not in the business of being your private art gallery. The Alcester Taxpayers are not paying taxes so you can display your ‘wares’ madame artiste and make money off their tax dollars. Build your own gallery or rent a storage shed so you can open the doors and sell your “art” on the weekends. You pay for your own facility, You pay for your own advertising and You collect your own cash instead of floating it through the city coffers. The council did not give its permission to be a gallery for you. Your inference we should be grateful that you are bringing people into Alcester with your art is ludicrous and presumptuous.
¶3 “…It is quite apparent that one particular lady living in Alcester appears to hate my art or me, because of my association with Patty. And, for now, not one City Council Member disagrees with that assessment. I am sincere when I day that I truly believed that hanging art in these places in our little town, would bring color and fun to a working space, and a restaurant. It was completely free to anyone that chose to enjoy. And, if I should make a sale here and there, I figured this would be a WIN-WIN situation for all…”
Assuming that I am that lady accused of hating your art or hating your person. First “madame artiste”, I am no lady and I do not have the title Dame before my name either with an “E” or without an “E”. I have my own art appreciation. As to hating you, at this point I have no interest in you one way or the other. However, that could change given your propensity for libeling, slandering and threatening our duly elected public officials via media venues or in public hallways.
¶4 “…Never was Patty Jurrens my “personal gallerist: as was stated. I did not ever have any kind of contract, or was thought to be EXCLUSIVE. I am guessing that if anyone wanted to share their artwork, it would have been accepted as well. I was simply bold enough to ASK if it would be OKAY…”
Ms. Fagre, I spoke to the appearance of former Finance Officer Patrica Jurrens acting as a curator or a gallerist. Your reference to former Alcester Finance Officer as your personal gallerist is in error. I did not say former Alcester Finance Officer was your personal gallerist. I never got an answer to my question dealing with that subject during council as to what exactly was going on with the art. Why? Because the council was unaware of FOPat’s apparent failure to get the council’s permission, contract, agreement and there was no vote to approve your art display in the city offices or the community center. Where by the way, YOU are still displaying your wares in the community center and we the people have no idea what the accounting, sales and etc. is taking place. We want that accounting. You forget Ms. Fagre it appears to have been FOPat and only FOPat who was “allowing” your “Art to be Hung”! Madam Fagre your guesses are irrelevant.
¶5 “…I don’t think Patty, Wanda, Abigail or Landon spent much time hanging, or rearranging the pieces that I would bring in. Most of them I hung myself originally. With the help of my amazing husband, Richard. And the, I told City Personnel to decide what hung where. I am not that much of a control freak. I said…Do whatever you think is best.”
Ms. Fagre the fact you ‘don’t think” says it all. Ya dumped your ‘art’ on the city, expecting the city employees to take care of it for you on the taxpayer dollar. WOW In addition Ms. Fagre, I cannot speak to how amazing your husband is or how much of a freak you are no, matter how tempting.
¶6 “…Was I grateful every single time someone purchased an art piece? Yes. Absolutely. I am grateful ANY time someone finds joy in the work that I do. Am I becoming independently wealthy by my art work? Not a Chance. Sometimes I spend more dollars on the art supplies, than I do selling a piece. Not to mention the hours spent on each one…”
Ms. Fagre, I would not ever try to guess how much you spend on your canvas, acrylics, alcohol ink, wood planks or you Gandma Moses frames. The hours you spent on your “art” are valuable only in that you are not harassing city officials when you are huddled in your dark studio, creating your art.
¶7 “…My goal was never to hurt a single individual by sharing art work. As a matter of fact, I have donated at least a dozen pieces EACH YEAR for the past 8 years here in town, to various groups in our local community.
Ms. Fagre what you have or have not donated is not pertinent to your behavior toward our mayor and council members. I am not inclined to give you a free pass on your behavioral ‘upsets’ just because you donate some canvas, paint and alcohol ink or offered up a crocodile-teared written apology.
¶8 “…I have tried everything I can think of to be a good resident, a nice neighbor and a supporter of this community…”
Ms. Fagre I am not interested in what you have tried but how many people have been bullied by you in those endeavors.
¶9 “…We are retired. And tired, to be honest. Most don’t even know that Richard had a kidney removed due to renal carcinoma last month, and I just broke a rib. And yet, so many people have much worse going on, and we realize that …”
Ms. Fagre your husband’s personal health problems are not relevant to the discussion we are having. However, the broken rib just might be relevant, did that happen the night you visited City Hall and showed those present in the hallway how many foul words you had in your vocabulary?
¶10 “…Our income is SS. Plus, we are “Janitors for Jesus” at Nathanel Lutheran. And, Richard drives school bus. In addition, I have stepped in to teach art at the Alcester Schools when it was needed. That was Great…”
Ms. Fagre, I am sure HE is grateful for your service.
¶11 “…We have volunteered in every capacity possible. And…mostly…I constantly spread the positive word about our little town. I’m human, so I have had some complaints. But… it was almost always just how wonderful this town has been…”
Ah Ms. Fagre, there is the rub. You brag about the town but you degrade and threaten our public officials in person and in social media.
¶12 “…I am now very sad, and disturbed at what has happened…”
¶13 “…You think I am devastated? I cannot even imagine what our finance officer is feeling at this moment….”
Ms. Fagre perhaps you should have been just as devastated when FOPat was harassing our former Finance Officer who was gravely ill. You should have been just as devastated when she tried to have a young man arrested on false claims via 911 calls or upset with the lies, she has told to the council and the public.
¶14 “…I have now rambled a bit, and spent a full page talking about what feels like being crucified personally. I could do ten pages as to why Patty should not have been treated with even more cruelty. Of course…each and every one of her critics has an opinion for this final decision. Rumors and hearsay are not good reasons…”
Ms. Fagre do not confuse fact for Pat’s fiction or crafting a crown from the pikes of a Yucca plant. This has been a long time coming and too many residents have been victims of FOPat’s actions, consistant failure to do the job she was paid to do and her manipulations of robbing Percy to pay Patty.
¶15 “…This job…was an impossible job. No one could win at it. And…it was said that Patty was hired as a bookkeeper, and that is all she should have been. Okay. Fine. But…if no one stepped into MANAGE the daily events, from petty issues all day long, to HUGE endeavors like the Community Center and the Water Treatment Plant…WHO WOULD HAVE DONE IT? No one seems to want to help out with ALL THAT!…”
Our former Finance Officer Mike Kezar was doing quite well, he did have an assistant but Mr. Kezar did not have delusions of being City Administrator. That was all FOPat! Quite frankly it is my opinion that FOPat did not want anyone to know exactly what it was she was doing and what exactly she was failing to do. FOPatty do petty issues? Nah, she wanted the big top, center-ring show grabber!
¶16 “…And…by the way…a former Council Member said that Patty Jurrens did not have a degree, so she should not even be in that position. CHECK YOUR FACTS! She has a 4-year degree from USD in Accounting. Why are untruths allowed to be stated without corrections? I would like some Investigation as to where Lukas Driesen graduated from. I will check. Being a mayor is a very important position as well. And my personal experiences have shown me why he might not be the best thing for Alcester. ASK ME, and I will explain privately. I do not want to share personal issues in public. I prefer the positive over the negative. Always…”
Ms. Fagre as far as asking you about anything, it would seem from recent experience it all depends on what time of the day we would be asking. After the witching hour or when the needle on the glass registers E? By the way how was it you broke a rib? So far madame artiste you have not conducted anything in private as it relates to our mayor and you have been more than willing to share your opinion, your prejudice and your vitriol in person and on Facebook which albeit was taken down, H-m-m!
¶17 “…I guess we will now see how it all goes. By unanimous vote of the current council, Ms. Jurrens has been officially fired, After serving this town for more than a dozen years. Even though I am a College Graduate, former High School Teacher and Varsity Coach, former Business owner of 7 restaurants in 3 states, Chamber Executive Assistant, Property Manager, Golf Coursen Staff Member, COA Executive Assistant, Lifeguard, Drivers Ed Teacher, Secretary, Janitor and now Artist…I could not care one little bit about credentials. I only look at how a person lives and operates…”
Ah Gee for someone who. “…could not care one little bit about credentials…” Ya sure do know how to list them ad nauseum. Ms. Fagre you go on to say, “I only look at how a person lives and operates…” So, ma’am taking your own justification for what you look at in how you judge people, YOU are giving me permission to look at how YOU operate and how YOU perceived how FOPat operates. Ma’am when did you last have YOUR vision checked, H-m-m? Oh by the way Ms. Fagre, do you know how long Mr. Kezar was Finance Officer when he was dismissed? Over thirty years Ms. Fagre. What was his wage at his dismissal? $35K plus or minus. So what was Pat Jurrens starting wage as Finance Officer with no experience? She was hired with no experience as finance officer at $2000.00 more than what Mr. Kezar was making after 30 years of service to the city with an raise to $40,000.00 a year after a short trial period. Still want to hand out thorny crowns to your bestie?
¶18 “…It’s a never-ending spinning toilet bowl recently. Sadly. I had high hopes that we were truly better than that. Speaking of being better, I hear at the council meetings all the time that we need to be respectful of one another. And yet, there is name calling from a certain lady constantly. I am known now as “Barstool Betty”, Cosette Hemen (by the way, I corrected your spelling of your ‘friend’s name) is “Nurse Ratched” (again I corrected your spelling of the name of the character Nurse Rached), and Anita is “California Karen”. She also refers to the beautiful Alcester Community Center as the “Big White Alabatross”. It is allowed to be printed and filmed and shared among the airwaves. The names that she has called Pat Jurrens are not even something that I would like to type here. This citizen, that I will not name, is constantly finding fault with someone, and breaking down instead of building up our community. It appears that she carries a sign that says, “Welcome to Hellcester”.
Ms. Fagre throughout this diatribe you appear to make extensive use of the party favor word “hearsay” and you have sprinkled “misinformation” like the confetti bombs at a Reveal Party. By the way, did you use your special alcohol ink for your vitriolic, verbal and venomous assault on our elected officials and reporters? Correcting your analogy of “a never-ending, spinning toilet bowl…” Ms. Fagre a toilet bowl does not spin, the water spins a- n- d ma’am the spinning water stops when the defecate is removed through that big hole in the bottom of the toilet bowl!
I have already corrected your numerous errors in spelling in the above paragraph because I do not want to perpetuate your mistakes. I have referred to the Alcester Community Center as “an Albatross” not big and not white. You added those terms. In addition to characterize the Alcester Community Center as beautiful. Ma’am from what I gather is YOUR definition of beautiful, “Beauty” is definitely in the eye of the beholder and I most assuredly do not share your concept of beauty.
Ms. Fagre you chafe, .. It (presumably my video blog) is allowed to be printed and filmed and shared among the airwaves…” Madame artiste, remember what the U.S. Constitution says? Amendment I – Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Ms. Fagre, you inventoried you varied accomplishments and trotted them out like grocery coupons in the local newspaper. Ma’am when you were graduating high school, I was graduating college. I was proud to be the first in my family to achieve a college degree. My grade point was not necessarily noteworthy because I paid my way through school. While I attended a local two-year community college, I went to school during the day and at 4:00 I was punching in at the time clock at Berkeley & Company. I worked from 4:00 pm to midnight, five days a week year round. I earned $1.80 per hour, $.10 of that was shift pay. I ran machines, molding machines, I ran 45 braiding machines which produced braided rope and spooling machines which transferred the plastic strands onto the spools for the braiding machines. From Iowa Lakes Community College, I went to Northern State College in Aberdeen where I finished out my BA degree in English, with a minor in History and the equivalent of a minor in science due to my insistence on getting a BA degree not a BS degree. Yes, I am proud of that accomplishment!
My other accomplishments along the way are only relevant to those services to people along the way. The good people of Alcester are aware of some of my accomplishments, but not all of them. Some of what I did was anonymous by choice. I did not feel the need to brag about them when it may embarrass a recipient or when a pat on the back was better served being attributed to someone else. So as I said, the good folks of Alcester are aware of my contributions to Alcester.
I do not carry a sign either figuratively or in reality declaring, “Welcome to Hellcester”. Folks that is a malignant, malevolent characterization of Ms. Fagre’s design.
¶19 “…The real sign reads, “ALCESTER…Small Town Treasure”. Hope that remains true for the future…Without reminding citizens of this beautiful little town, and our United States of America…and trying to live under our CONSTITUTION…our State Motto remains…” Under God, the people rule”. It is up to the people. I am only one voice…”
Ms. Fagre says, “…without reminding citizens of this beautiful little town…” Sugar ya’ll spouted an Oxymoron ie. “…without reminding…”, but then ya’ll remind them. Oh by the way Ms. Fagre, I took a class titled, Semantics. It was a great class. The South Dakota Motto, “Under God, the people rule” is often interpreted “if the people believe in God, they rule”. However this is open to interpretation. What if it really means God has set out the rules to the people, the people must abide by and uphold those rules then and only then the people will rule?
One last thought for you about me Ms. Fagre … “en Garde!”,
One word of encouragement to Mayor Lukas,
“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat…F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Throw me to the wolves and I will return leading the pack.
Seneca
A Voice from the Gallery 