It was no disappointment when Washington City Councilman Nathaniel Cullars so arrogantly declared "absolutely not" to a request that he temporarily stand aside from his position on the Police Committee. That reaction from him was fully expected.

It was only a slight disappointment that Mayor Willie Burns refused to take the opportunity to reappoint Cullars. There had been a glimmer of hope that the mayor would take the appropriate action but at the moment of decision, also as expected, he didn't come through.

A much bigger disappointment was the failure of three other councilmen - Pam Eaton, Ray Hardy, and Maceo Mahoney - to press for immediate action. While they did voice some slight objection, much more was expected of them. (Rev. G.L. Avery said if it was him, he would stand aside.)

The whole matter stems from a request by a number of citizens, and articulated by Steve DeShazo, that Cullars "do the right thing" and temporarily stand aside because of a perceived conflict of interest following the arrest of his son by Washington police officers on drug charges.

But the real disappointment is much bigger. The real disappointment comes with the realization that this is the mentality of the elected officials who run this city.

For some of them, it's not that they lack the courage to do the right thing - they don't know what the right thing is. Neither do they have a working concept of propriety, nobility, or just plain "class."

Others just don't care. They have their own agenda and damn everything else.

And others lack the fortitude to say what they think in open meeting whether out of fear or something else.

The whole situation smells of cover-up or intimidation whether it is or not. The prevailing attitude of the Council points to a desire to not follow any rules of propriety (or any rules at all, for that matter) and not to pay any attention to perceptions.

Burns said he doesn't deal in perceptions but in reality. The reality is that it is blatantly improper for Cullars to remain in his position on the Police Committee. Whether he can recuse (that's the word) himself has nothing to do with it. The mayor was right about one thing - this is not a legal question, it is a moral question.

The fact that council members refused to object to the status quo indicates that they have no concept of propriety in public office, no sense of responsibility to the electorate, nor any commitment to their convictions. It also suggests that they are afraid to act against one of their own in general or Cullars in particular.

With this apparent character of the current Council, it is no wonder our best and brightest young people seek fulfillment elsewhere.

It's too late to salvage this particular situation. "Playing it out" is just more of the same sorry maladroitness. These kinds of actions and inactions have become the habit of community leaders who continue to fail to be decisive, progressive, and courageous. Sadly, it is our pattern.