On behalf of the members of the Kennebec Valley Chamber of Commerce, we are most appreciative of the kind comments in the Kennebec Journal on Feb. 7 about our annual awards dinner.

More than 950 people attended the celebration, which features outstanding businesses and individuals who contribute to the community and to the area economy.

Unfortunately, while heaping high praise on the sense of community among the winners and the attendees, the writer also took what I believe was an unfair swipe at Sen. Angus King.

We were pleased that our busy new U.S. senator was willing to take time to join us in Augusta to help honor our awardees. And we knew that his appearance with us was squeezed between two other commitments for that evening.

Neither he nor we knew he would be sitting for hours on an airplane in Washington awaiting de-icing. He did finally fly into Portland, hustled on to Augusta and helped heap honors upon our winners both with his presence and with special letters of praise to each of our eight awardees.

Contrary to the suggestion that he was “out of touch,” we think King was very much in touch with us.

 

Peter G. Thompson

President & CEO