The current Des Moines City Council finally paid the former council members money that has been due them.

This was conveniently done after the election last fall where some of the former lawmakers lost their positions. It takes money to run an effective campaign.

Since the former lawmakers were being sued for their activities as city council members, the city should have paid their defense fees up front. Instead they did not pay them at all for years.

To add insult to injury, your “reporter” Sara Loken writes that Dave Kaplan noted the four former lawmakers had negatively impacted Des Moines and tainted its image.

The former lawmakers won their case! They should not have been attacked in the first place. The group Citizens for Des Moines caused much of the problems and most of the costs that plagued the city by incorrectly suing city council members.

Was a condition of paying part of the money owed to former council members an agreement to silence them or did your reporter not talk to those falsely accused for some other reason?

Jeanette Burrage

Des Moines