Issues with overheated accusations

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A belated response to Vince Holmes’ Nov. 26 open letter to Wilmington Mayor and City Council:

Some of the unnamed people attacked in the letter were unable to respond directly because of ethical concerns.

I am under no such constraints, I’m just an observer of the public arena and when I see unreasonable and unsubstantiated attacks on individuals or institutions my curiosity is piqued. Be advised that I have little knowledge of the small details of the G-1 proposal. My purpose is to expose trial by unsubstantiated rhetoric.

Let’s enumerate some of the issues presented in the overheated letter.

a. Influential and evidently powerful people whom have assumed power – Who are these people, do they have names or titles?

b. Using the Clinton County Regional Planning Commission – Anyone that knows the former director of the commission, Chris Schock, and his successor, Taylor Stuckert, the originators of the proposal, would say that they are the least likely people to be used by anyone.

c. Lots of personal relationships and backscratching going on — What relationships with whom and whose back was being scratched? (meaningless innuendo)

d. Underhanded ambitions – No facts given to support this accusation.

e. Power grab — What power grabbed by whom?

f. Mr. Jaehnig to come forward once again – When the letter was written the voters of the ward affected by the G-1 proposal decided that they needed a new representative.

g. Sleight-of-hand trickery – Unsupported and beyond the pale.

h. Let the free market work – What if the market said that an unwanted professional office owner wanted to buy or rent a new location? What if the market worked to place an adult entertainment club in a location next to your home?

i. Try stealing with the pen — An over-the-top accusation.

j. Small-town tyranny – By whom, to whom for what end?

k. A sound beating at the polls — In my opinion, approval of the referendum by less than 30 percent of the eligible voters is somewhat less than a “sound beating.”

Paul Hunter

Wilmington

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