I would like to respond to a recent letter written by Ernie Canelli concerning the town council and town manager of Fairfield.

As a matter of practice, town leaders have avoided responding to random negative comments made by folks who are simply misinformed, but there comes a time that a response is necessary to set the record straight.

During the past few months, former Teamsters agent Canelli has made some very strong claims that are irresponsible and simply untrue. He has not attended a single town workshop meeting in more than a year and his only knowledge about town affairs is what he reads in the newspaper, sees on TV or what he hears from others — misinformation circulated by a handful of current and former town employees he used to represent in the union.

The town council and town manager have been working very hard to improve town departments and address matters that have lingered far too long. Some opposition is to be expected, but let us have an open and public discussion about the issues instead of spreading rumors and false reports.

The fact is that it was the town council, not the town manager, who initiated discussion about the need for a social media policy. It is completely appropriate for towns to adopt such a policy, and it has been recommended by the Maine Municipal Association. One criticism might be that Fairfield is actually late to the game in implementing such a policy.

Canelli hasn’t lived in Fairfield very long, and perhaps he doesn’t understand that his type of irresponsible commentary harms the town’s image and attempts to drive a wedge between the council and town employees. Our residents expect better from those who wish to have influence.

John Picchiotti, town councilor

Fairfield


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.