Link to 'Glass Houses' editorial: http://www.thecommunityjournal.com/news/2006/0818/Opinion/011.html

Gagnon fan speaks out

The "Glass Houses" editorial (The Community Journal, Aug. 18, 2006) is a shabby piece of devious and convoluted attempt at character assignation.

Anonymous accusations and assertions which the editor disingenuously appears to dismiss with phrases like "without knowing the whole story" are none-the-less treated as the "glass house" of some imaginary guilt the editor attaches to Chris Gagnon.

With what has to be journalistic dishonesty we read Chris "shouldn't be making financial decisions for the town, let alone chair a committee with a $5.3 million checkbook". Certainly the editor is aware that Chris doesn't even have a vote on the Public Safety Building Committee, let alone spending authority. And there is an implied insult to the members of the committee that we might be a party to some misuse of the money the town voted for this project.

Chris volunteers a prodigious amount of time on researching details of this project and other efforts which go well beyond any obligations of the chairman's office. The town should be grateful, not carping, of his involvement.

I am astounded that differences of opinion about town policy should be turned into personal animosity. The charge that "there might be a personal agenda here" is downright sleazy character attack. CJ's editor should be ashamed.

Al Rickheit, Ashburnham