Enclosed please find my letter to the Editor of the Red Rock News. They (RRN) did print most of it but just happened to leave out the last paragraph. I understand why they didn’t want to print that, but they should understand my rationale as to why I thought it important. Thank you for your willingness to print it in full.
Sincerely,
Dick Ellis
70 Longview Drive
Sedona AZ 86336
SedonaEye.com Editor note: Mr. Ellis’s letter was delayed in the holiday mail, however we opted to print. Those who find Mr. Ellis’s issue important will appreciate the context.)
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Letter To The Editor:
The November 19, 2010 edition of the Red Rock News contains an article by Patrick Whitehurst headlined “Two fire board members violate trust of voters.” The front page portion of the article was framed by pictures of Bert Berkshire and Charlie Christiansen. The setting inferred Berkshire and Christiansen had done something wrong. The article went on to say that was only the opinion of Lisa Vernet and not a matter of fact.
Actually Berkshire and Christiansen were very honorable in attempting to adhere to the rules for naming a replacement for Don Harr. It was Vernet and Graves who violated the public trust by trying to wave the appropriate rules for such an event. Perhaps the article should have carried the headline “Two fire board members advocate violating rules” accompanied with pictures of Vernet and Graves.
Everyone needs to realize the last fire board election was a show-down between the firemens union versus the rest of the community. Fischel, Fitzpatrick and Montgomery were assembled, promoted, and financially sponsored by the firemens union in this area as well as from other cities and towns from around Arizona. Blauert, Erick and Demme ran as a ticket to represent the rest of the community. Upon understanding this, it is easy to see where Vernet was coming from and why she was trying so hard to use her method of selecting a replacement for Harr.
If the firemens union ticket had been elected would they have been willing to replace Don Harr with a membre of the community ticket? Of course not!
If Patrick Whitehurst knows the difference between editorializing and reporting, then we can only assume his unjust support of Lisa Vernet’s view was for the purpose of aiding the union agenda.
