Note: This letter to the editor was written by Lou Gentile, Chairman of the Beaver County Democratic Party and will appear in the Beaver County Times

“Freedom of Expression”

On Monday, August 1, 2016, I submitted a Letter to the Editor in which only one sentence mentioned the controversy between Chairwoman Egley and the Sheriff over the budget. That opening was to serve as an entrée to consider the Sheriff’s department utilization as a community relations, training conduit to nurture police-community relations during a time when debate rages over institutional racism and allegations of police misconduct using that time as a “bridge” to solidarity in the community, while instituting legitimate programs that will keep young men and women off the streets and provide direction to legitimate career paths.

Building trades not able to meet minority quotas was cited, as was Ms. Egley’s focus on “fiscal responsibility” who should also focus on “social responsibility.” The Times suggested the message would be better told in a story which distorted the content and politicized it, implicating I was supporting the Sheriff, when in reality I was supporting the Sheriff’s department in a more productive way. I conveyed my disappointment to the Times who advised my original letter would be printed on August 5. On August 4, I received an email reading “after looking closer at your letter and the story, I just don’t see enough difference between the two to justify running the letter.” That response from the Times was blatantly, factually incorrect and has impaired the ability of a citizen to invoke the right to send a clear message to the public at large.

Respectfully,

Lou Gentile, Chairman