Meeting attendees should be respected

To the Editor:

I am writing this letter in response to the "Our Views" section of the Advertiser Democrat that was issued on Thursday, September 27. Specifically, I am referring to the "Greater Good doesn't count in Paris" item.

If this particular piece was credited to an individual, I would take this up with them, but it is not, so I must take it to the Editor, as you are responsible as the arbiter of the Advertiser's content.

Let me be clear. I take great offense to being classified as a sharp-tongued loudmouth. While my name is not specifically mentioned, I was one of six attendees at the meeting in question, not including the selectmen. Of those six, three of us spoke.

Mary Beth Caffey presented her petition, while Janet Jamison and myself spoke against the proposed referendum. Judging by the tone of the piece, Mary Beth Caffey was not who they were referring to, so as you can see, the list of possible sharp-tongued loudmouths is pretty short.

Mary Beth Caffey deserves a great deal of credit and respect for her efforts to have people's voices heard. Her petition was a good thing to do, and she did it very well.

However, where were the people to back up this petition? Of those 122 people who signed the petition, why did none of them show up to this meeting to have their voices heard by the selectboard?

Participatory democracy requires more than signing a petition. If these people truly cared about the issue, like myself, they would have made time to attend the meeting and express themselves regardless of what else is happening in town.

Not only was I there on Friday night, but I was also present in the August tie vote on this issue. Did I have better things to do? Sure, but I cared enough to make time. Democracy requires advanced citizenship.

It requires people to take events seriously, to make sure they are informed and to take action when necessary to prevent things from taking place that are contrary to their interests. Mary Beth Caffey clearly understands this.

In closing, I disagree that the people who attended this meeting were simply sharp-tongued loudmouths. Instead, we should be respected as caring citizens who simply want the best for our families and our neighbors.

Thank you for your time.

Peter M. Kilgore

South Paris