Barre supervisor wrongly besmirches character of candidate, spreads falsehoods

Editor:

Barre residents: First of all, thank you for your support and I encourage you to read the entire length of my letter.

Now that the dust has settled, I believe I have the right to respond to Pogue’s outlandish 1,378-word letter. He, as the Barre Town Supervisor, chose to maliciously attack and try to defame my name with lies. And, he may very well have caused harm to my primary election.

His letter was almost 3 times the requested length and since it attacked me in part, I believe my letter should be allowed even though it is about 777 words.

Pogue Claimed: that I wrote a letter to the State in order to stop wind turbines.

False: I have not written any letters to the State telling them that I should be allowed to single handedly stop wind turbines.

Pogue Claimed: that I said I would sue the Town over wind turbines.

False: I addressed his ridiculous claim before. I have never threatened to sue anyone using your money, my money, or anyone else’s money to do so. That comment came from someone else, who I believe has moved away, and was during an election, years ago of which I was not even involved!

Pogue Claimed: “…you might get sued…” “…if these three get in…” “…be careful what you wish for…”.

False: These words were craftily placed in the letter, but there appears to be a threatening message which seems to have been meant to scare voters from voting for me, George McKenna and Iva McKenna.

Pogue Claimed: that I stuck signs up and may not have visited residents.

False: Rubbish. Some people actually picked up signs to place in their own yards. Of course I visited residents. I didn’t just go around sticking signs up without talking to people and listening to them. But now I am wondering if me or my wife have been followed around…otherwise, why in the world would Pogue make that claim?

Pogue Claimed: I am not involved with the town.

False: He must not have seen me all those months at the Comprehensive Plan Committee Meetings which I attended and was part of.

Pogue Claimed: I have not attended town meetings.

False: I used to attend the town board meetings quite regularly in-person. The truth is, even though I also addressed this before, I feel I can now write candidly as to the reason I, along with many other residents, stopped going “in-person” to town board meetings. I just could not stomach observing the public, verbal abuse by Pogue on one particular board member.

The clincher for me was this: Imagine sitting next to a family member who is visibly shaken-up due to the town supervisor’s appearance of being on the brink of losing self-control by yelling at a board member, shoving themselves away from the bench with fists clenched.

Imagine this family member asking the board to stop this out-of-control behavior because it is causing an amount of anxiety and panic. Imagine the town supervisor, who is supposed to be a leader, after just showing a bout of sheer rage, looking at her and out-right laugh at her! Imagine being a man of excellent self-control having to sit on your hands for the rest of the meeting. That is the truth of why I will not grace the town supervisor with my presence “in-person” at town board meetings.

I am not sure why Pogue turned the Barre Primary Election into a fight about the wind energy…again…he wasn’t even running. But, for the future, here are a few things that Pogue did not claim, so I will add them for you:

I am not in agreement with wind energy – The town supervisor’s Republican nominee is in agreement with wind energy.

I do not have a monetary interest in any wind companies – The town supervisor’s Republican nominee has a monetary interest in Heritage Wind, LLC.

I support the ideals of the not-for-profit group, Clear Skies Above Barre – The town supervisor’s Republican nominee supports the ideals of Heritage Wind, LLC.

My hope is that the next town supervisor, whomever it may be, refuses to follow in Pogue’s footsteps of malicious fashion. I also have to wonder what will happen now that I have written this letter.

I do know that there is one citizen who would like to write a letter to the editor, but is too afraid. Why? Because each time they have written their point of view in the past, retaliation has been bestowed upon them.

I neither support nor condone malicious behavior nor abusive behavior…by anyone…for any reason.

Respectfully submitted,

Scott Burnside

Town of Barre