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Mayor's change of heart proves old dogs can learn new tricks

The Gallup Independent - 10/8/2017

Mayor Jackie McKinney's recent reaction to the implementation of the new 28-Day Treatment Program was a pleasant surprise. He exhibited a positive attitude toward the program and seemed enthusiastic about how it will benefit the city of Gallup and the county.

When McKinney was informed that the 28-Day Treatment Program will be implemented as early as mid-December at a recent Jail Advisory Board in September, he responded, "Good, that's what I want to hear. This is something we want to offer to our community members right way - let's get rid of this recidivism."

Now, you're thinking like a true leader, Jackie! In August's Jail Authority Board meeting, McKinney whined and moaned about reading the program's entire treatment manual. Rather than reading the program manual in its entirety, he proposed that Program Directer Erika Hayes summarize the entire manual right there on the spot.

When fellow board members and county commissioners preferred to postpone approving the program citing policy that they must read and know what it is they're approving of, Jackie whined more, bringing to mind a version of Governator Arnold Schwarznegger from "The Simpsons" saying, "I was elected to lead, not to read."

However, by the end of September, after having had a month to read through the extensive manual, something changed in McKinney. He returned to the Jail Authority Board meeting Sept. 27 with a better outlook and a somewhat sincere resolve to put an end to recidivism.

The realization of the benefit that treatment programs like the 28-Day program can provide, and taking serious their implementation is vitally important for the leaders in our area. Seeing Mayor McKinney take it seriously is a great sign.

It's especially refreshing because McKinney hasn't always shown such empathy and foresight in the past. We can remember when McKinney proposed picking up intoxicated persons off the streets and dropping them off at the edge of the Navajo Reservation and letting the tribe take care of their own people.

He was also one of many affluent - and predominantly white - Gallup citizens who proposed the Change in My Heart, Not in My Pocket program. The idea was to curb panhandling by not giving money directly to individuals on the streets and instead giving money to local organizations and charities. The progam was a failure and led to many claims of racism against the organizers.

McKinney and other officials quickly distanced themselves from the program, proving that it's possible for a person to change and learn empathy for others. In recent years, we've seen a more thoughtful mayor who approaches issues from a human perspective - as we've been advising local officials to do for a long while.

We're not sure what marked McKinney's change in attitude, but it's nice to know the old dog can learn new tricks.

The 28-Day Treatment Program been long overdue, and we are thrilled that McKinney is taking on this issue proactively rather than brushing it aside. We hope our mayor will maintain this outlook while the program is in progress.