Insulting and dishonest editorial

To the Editor:

The title of your recent editorial describes it well — "Insulting and Dishonest." In a desperate attempt to stir up controversy you have mischaracterized and criticized the South Paris Selectmen while apparently being unaware of the well written article on the front page of your own paper.

The headline "Board abandons police audit" is completely misleading, par of the course, while the article clearly states that ...."The Board voted unanimously to postpone the audit" of our police department.

You state that it was "shortsighted" to cancel the audit to save $6,000. If you were interested in the truth, you should have read that your reporter quoted us as saying that "....the money would be ill spent while the department is in transition."

You assert that, "Clearly the Board doesn't understand what an audit is or does." This is an absurd assertion as we had the representative of the Chiefs Association give us a full explanation of their process and purpose.

We have sensibly decided to give the new chief and the new town manager a chance to get settled in before recommending a new date for the audit and if they feel that one is desired.

And lastly, you state that, "The police chiefs we have spoken to would welcome an audit." But, in more sloppy work, you have apparently not contacted our chief.

Apparently to you it seems a shame to let facts interfere with an "insulting and dishonest" editorial. An editorial, strictly an opinion piece which remains unsigned, was apparently written by someone who lacks the courage of his/her convictions. 


Hopefully, the desperate attempt to stir up emotion to sell papers by a misleading presentation of the facts will not be an ongoing pattern for the paper.

The public is ill served by this type of editorializing and it is beneath the dignity of an established paper that has long been supported by the people of this area.

Sam Elliot

Paris