An excellent letter from Glenn Rappaport who is a Basalt Town Councilman and mayoral candidate. Again, up on the Aspen Daily News.
Goodness, local political races are sure heating up early, aren't they?
"There is ample good sense contained in the first rule of public office: “Don’t respond to people who buy ink by the gallon.” And yet Scott Condon, a prominent Aspen Times journalist, has for years deployed his ink to question my integrity and undermine my moral fiber. His latest dispatch, published last Friday, Feb. 24, does the same. I write to set the record straight.
Most of us in and around the Basalt Town Hall are well aware that Mr. Condon, the only valley writer who regularly covers Basalt politics, has had a long and close friendship with Jacque Whitsitt, my opponent in the upcoming Basalt mayoral race.
Over the decades it’s been frustrating — and rather frightening — to watch Mr. Condon cast me as the protagonist in a string of fictional scandals, then resurrect those fake scandals as official history in his ongoing coverage of Basalt politics. His latest version of this trick, published last week, revolves around my work as a consultant for the proposed Pan and Fork redevelopment project, a revitalization effort for downtown Basalt. Because of my involvement, I have recused myself from voting on the project as a member of the Basalt Town Council; this is standard procedure for public servants whose private sector work comes up for review. Yet Condon raises doubts about my potential effectiveness as mayor, and even lightly suggests I could be breaking the law.
Ultimately he comes up short, leaving observers of Basalt politics to wonder at his timing. Even if there were a scandal afoot, why didn’t he write about it four months ago, when Harry Teague and I first signed on to consult on the Pan and Fork project? Did he hold off to give Jacque Whitsitt, his friend and my opponent, a proverbial bump in the mayoral race?..." (Read more? Click title)
"Unapologetically pursuing and tracking patterns within the news others make since 2010."
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