PCI aware of, deserves controversy it caused

The Gazette's May 14 editorial implied that the doctors of Physicians' Clinic of Iowa and CEO Mike Sundall are unskilled at public relations and that they could have done better at selling the closing of part of Second Avenue SE for their new medical mall. It also said “Sundall and the clinic's owner-physicians contend they couldn't get their story out amid the closure controversy.” Wrong on all counts.

First, closing Second Avenue SE is mere shorthand for what is taking place: Altered traffic flow for blocks around. One-way streets becoming two-way. Downtown becoming a zone to avoid - just watch. PCI gains at the expense of other businesses and property owners. The public isn't so easily fooled by PCI's “story” as some City Council members, downtown shills or editorial board members.

Second, an online search yields evidence of Sundall's contempt for public opinion. Immediately after the City Council voted Oct. 26 to close the street, Sundall dismissed objections voiced by citizens that night as “a little bit like getting stoned to death with cotton balls.”

PCI's owner-physicians deserve whatever pressure they're feeling, for however long they keep this CEO in their employ. The Gazette shouldn't be carrying water for this bunch.

Kurt Rogahn

Cedar Rapids