Fairfax

Photos by Bonnie Hobbs/The Connection
News
Mayor Scott Silverthorne [second from left] and City Council members
honor a longtime City resident in early June.
City Residents Have Their Say Regarding Arrest
From Page 3
Manager Bob Sisson handles the City’s
day-to-day operations Fairfax business will
keep functioning as usual.
In an Aug. 5 message to City employees,
Sisson wrote, “We all regret that this has
happened. There is no bigger champion of
City employees than our Mayor. All City
operations will continue in normal fashion.
I would just suggest that you keep Scott,
the City Council and our fine City in your
thoughts and prayers.”
ON HIS FACEBOOK
PAGE, Silverthorne
posted a message Aug. 5,
saying: “Dear Fairfax
friends, based on advice
from my legal counsel, I
am not going to be commenting
on my pending
case. I ask that you allow
the process to proceed
before rushing to judgment
[as tough as that
may be]. Thank you for
the many calls and
emails today; I will try
my best to be responsive.”
That same day, Greenfield issued his own
statement, saying “The Fairfax City Council
appreciates Mr. Silverthorne’s
longstanding dedication to the community.
He has served the City of Fairfax as a
Councilmember and mayor for more than
a quarter of a century. The community has
benefited from his dedication and his vision
for making Fairfax an excellent place
to live and work.”
Indeed, with the exception of some bitter,
political opponents, for years the capable
and charismatic Silverthorne has been
extremely well-liked – almost beloved – by
City residents, so reaction to his dramatic
fall from grace has been equally strong. His
friends are standing by him, but others
aren’t so forgiving.
“Politicians and officials are held to a
higher standard,” said City resident Micah
Rush. “When more is expected, more should
be taken away if you commit a crime. You’re
in a position of public trust and are expected
to comport yourself accordingly, and meth
is pretty horrible, toxic stuff.”
“To each their own,” said resident Debra
Kazemi. “But when you do something illegal,
you shouldn’t be in public service. And
meth is such a bad thing in the country, I’d
like to keep it out of the area. If they find
[Silverthorne]
guilty, he should
“The community has
benefited from his
dedication and his
vision for making
Fairfax an excellent
place to live and work.”
— Councilman Jeff Greenfield,
acting mayor
resign; you can’t
be mayor from
jail.”
Ian Tarasevitsch
was “concerned to
hear he was a substitute
teacher.
What consenting
adults do in their
own time is up to
them. Still, it
speaks to character.”
And Ben Lucas
was simply surprised, saying, “It’s sad to
hear.”
Longtime Silverthorne friend Marilyn
Larsen spoke with him on the phone after
getting the news. “I was astonished,” she
said. “And Scott’s so angry with himself because
he’s ruined his life. He’s also upset
because people think he’s a drug dealer, but
he’s not. Serving Fairfax is who he is; all he
ever wanted to do was make friends and
do good things for the City.”
Larsen is also angry about how
Silverthorne’s after-hours activities came to
light. “It was a set-up,” she said. “The police
weren’t looking for him on their own –
they got a tip. To me, it’s vindictive; somebody
was out to get him.”
“Scott was my former student at Fairfax
In May 2015, Mayor Scott Silverthorne [center] and other dignitaries cut
the ribbon on the City’s Old Town Square.
High, and I will always stand by him because
I know the type of person he is,” she
continued. “He’s kind and good and I’d trust
my home and family with him. Scott owned
up to [his mistake] right away. We’re not
the sum total of the worst thing we ever
did, and Scott has a long history of doing
good, honorable things for people and this
City, and I believe in him.”
Ellen Erikson, a friend of Silverthorne’s
from high school, feels similarly about him.
“He’s always been a great guy,” she said.
“We never know people’s lives and their
struggles inside, and my heart just breaks
for him. His whole life was Fairfax City; and
now, for the one thing that means the most
to him to be taken away, has got to be devastating.”
And while many people on Silverthorne’s
Facebook page have told him to “hang in
there” and that they’re praying for him,
some others have taken potshots at him.
And it made Erikson furious. “You don’t kick
someone when they’re down, you show
compassion,” she
said. “Everyone’s
got issues; I’m sure
everyone’s done
something they
wish they hadn’t
and are embarrassed
about. But
it’s not made public
for all to see; but
his is because he’s
the mayor.”
Furthermore,
“He’s also upset because
people think he’s a drug
dealer, but he’s not.
Serving Fairfax is who he
is; all he ever wanted to do
was make friends and do
good things for the City.”
— Marilyn Larsen, a long-time friend
said Erikson,
“Scott’s entitled to
a private life, and
the choices he makes are his. You can’t judge
someone’s entire life on just a snippet, without
knowing the full story. He’s a genuinely
good person and he doesn’t deserve all the
criticism he’s been receiving.”
Besides, she added, “People have done
worse things, and I want him to know that
his true friends and those who care about
him and love him will still be there for him.
You don’t stop caring about someone because
they made a mistake. He’s human,
and for us to expect perfection is unfair. It’s
OK for people to be disappointed, but not
judgmental. The guy feels bad enough, as
it is.”
Friend Lisa O’Neill, who’s known
Silverthorne all his life, said, “Scotty has always
been about what’s best for the City.
He turned it into a place where people want
to be.”
COUNCILMAN David Meyer said
Silverthorne began serving Fairfax in 1990
and has had a “long history of service and
making a difference in our community. So
[his arrest] is particularly distressing to the
Council and the City’s many volunteer leaders.
But we must focus on working cooperatively
to move the City forward.”
He said Fairfax is on the cusp of several,
major initiatives holding great promise. “We
just completed a rewrite
of our zoning
ordinance, we have
a new affordablehousing
policy,
we’ve approved
two, significant,
mixed-use projects
and we’ve begun
work on rewriting
our Comprehensive
Plan,” he said. “I
believe the City is
resilient and we
will get through
this. Fairfax is a
wonderful community in which to work, live
and raise a family.”
“This event does not define who we are,”
continued Meyer. “We’re a diverse city with
committed leaders who’ll continue working
with the Council to see that the initiatives
we’ve already begun will come to fruition.”
10 ❖ Fairfax Connection ❖ August 11-17, 2016 www.ConnectionNewspapers.com