Photo for Headline Surfer / New Smyrna Beach police officer Ralph Hunnefeld is shown at far left in this snapshot posted on his Facebook page that was taken taken during his service in active combat in Iraq. Though Mayor Adam Barringer privately apologized for calling Hunnefeld a 'pr-ck' after he was waved off by the cop from driving through a closed side street before the start of last year's Christmas parade, the military vet and his friends feel an apology given by the mayor was scripted in a private meeting arranged by City Manager Pam Brangaccio.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- What better example of leadership for New Smyrna Beach Mayor Adam Barringer than that set by Volusia County Chair Jason Davis in embracing the media -- this 24/7 internet newspaper in particular -- to share his thoughts with all of you on this Memorial Day, as he has done time and again.
Barringer, the seasoned politician with a phD in in leadership would do well for himself and the city he professes to lead by recognizing the serviceman who came home with the memory of brothers in arms lost on the desert sands of Iraq, only to take up a new calling -- that of city cop.
With all of the acrimony that the mayor finds himself clearly entrenched in, the time is at hand for him to finally show contrition for the way he disrespected police officer Ralph Hunnefeld by sarcastically shaking his hand and stating, "Thanks for being a pr-ck." This exchange after the cop waved him off from trying to drive through a barricaded side street before the start of last year's Christmas parade.
Barringer knows all too well that the scripted apology Hunnefeld was forced to accept in a later private meeting arranged by City Manager Pam Brangaccio speaks volumes as to why his leadership has increasingly been called into question with the filing of two state ethics complaints, the ugly exchange with Hunnefeld among them.
While Jason Davis, recipient of the Brinze Star after being wounded in Iraq, has put down his rifle for the gavel, Hunnefeld, too, has set aside his military rifle for a service revolver and a badge; continuing to put his life on the line to make for a safer community for Adam Barringer and the rest of us.
The least the mayor could do publicly today is show a little appreciation for the continued commitment to public safety by former soldiers like Ralph Hunnefeld who made it back to their families, unlike those who made the ultimate sacrifice that gives meaning to today's solemn remembrances.