While I prefer to try and not bring personalities into my letters and articles, the personal attack in a local paper from Avern Danforth has compelled me to do so. Mr. Danforth, being that you and your daughter write in a “professional” capacity, you might do well to heed your own advice and make certain that what you write is not only accurate, but that it is not twisted and spun to suit your need to discredit anyone who does not mirror your beliefs and opinions. The letters I write are written in the capacity of the opinion of a concerned citizen with the right to have an opinion whether it agrees with yours or not. I do research the facts and content of my letters to make sure it is accurate.
When you quoted my comment about not having a problem with MAGIC assisting in jobs for our neighboring towns, that is true, it is not a problem. However, that does not mean that I believe we should continue to fund MAGIC without seeing any benefits for Millinocket.
You can look at it any way you wish and put whatever spin you see fit on it, but the money funding MAGIC coming from Millinocket is coming from money that is supposed to be spent for economic development IN Millinocket for the taxpayers of Millinocket. You may chose to mince facts and amounts, by saying Millinocket is paying the smallest amount per capita, but that is only another way to twist things to appear how you wish them to. The fact is, Millinocket is consistently being asked to pay more money than the other towns, pay for renovation on buildings to suit MAGIC’s purposes when other towns pay nothing for the building renovations and we are seeing the least for all of this money. The TIF money does not “belong” to MAGIC, it belongs to the residents and taxpayers of Millinocket FOR economic development for our town.
My letter did not “insinuate” anything about MAGIC sending jobs to East Millinocket or Medway. Nothing I said was aimed at or about this alleged insinuation. I do not insinuate, I do not mince, I say exactly what I mean. Finally, Avern Danforth, I do not point fingers and name names to try to discredit people who do not mirror my opinion as you have done. I don’t have a problem with you disagreeing with my opinion or need your approval of my opinion. Nor do I have a need to try to ridicule your opinions, regardless of what I feel about them. Everyone is entitled to an opinion. You are not the judge and jury of whether one’s opinion is right or wrong because opinions can be neither.
As for another letter calling anyone opposed to the opinion of the council majority “dissidents”, that is a prime example of those who wish to silence the rights and opinions of anyone who does not agree with their ideology. Differing ideas, thoughts, and opinions are what makes a democracy.
