TRR has been getting really bad lately

by Chuck Sun Jun 22, 2008 9:40 pm

I know I shouldn’t go to The Rumford Reporter Website. The best thing for everyone to do is to just stay away. I just can’t though and this is why. What if people go there and actually believe the stuff on that site? I know it’s a stretch but what if they do?

For instance, does anyone believe for a minute that certain town leaders control the Sun Journal and the Rumford Falls Times? For hundreds of years towns have used newspapers to get the word out to the people of their community. Nothings changed during that time. Now when the papers run a press release or cover a town meeting and there’s information that might sway people from thinking differently than the Reporter wants them to think, they cry foul. When common sense and logical arguments fail, the site resorts to personal attacks. When they couldn’t control what was being printed in the newspapers, they attacked the Newspaper and targeted the reporters for personal criticism!

Take this quote from the site. In the article entitled Sun Journal & RF Times Overlook Important Story they make the case that Selectman Buccina hollered down Tax Collector Carlo Puiia when he wanted to talk about the Charter Commission. What they are saying is that they want the newspapers to dramatize the negative parts of the meetings. Are you kidding me? The site seems to stop at nothing to try to drive their agenda, even if it hurts the town and make no mistake about it. That site has hurt the town.

Later in an open letter to the Sun Journal posted on the site; Town Solicitor Tom Carey takes the Sun Journal to task for choosing to “focus on the negative”. So should the press focus on every negative interaction that occurs at a town meeting or not? What seems really clear is that the local papers will never win unless it simply turns control of it’s publication over to the proprietors of that website.

The same case could be made for our town officials. Be controlled by the proprietors of the website of suffer personal attacks. Conversely, should town leaders join with the Reporter; they shall receive eternal forgiveness and understanding, regardless of their behavior. There seems to be no middle ground.

Mr. Carey’s ending paragraph contains the following quotes: “What is the Sun Journal doing to encourage the glass being seen as half full rather than half empty?” and “hit-and-run tactics have no place in responsible journalism”. Perhaps Mr. Carey should have offered that advice to the Rumford Reporter.

by Admin Mon Jun 23, 2008 7:06 am

Hi Chuck,

First, thanks for having the courage to post. I know that being the first to start out on a new forum can be a bit scary.

It’s OK to voice your opinion on here. I’ve been unhappy with how irresponsible the writing can be on TRR also, although I’ve tried to be respectful when expressing my opinion.

I do want to caution you and others that may want to post on this topic to not let things get personal as they did on the Open Doar. If you want to correct misinformation or express your opinion, fine. Let’s not bring this site down to personal attacks though. That would make us as guilty as those that we are writing about.

Thanks

by Chuck Mon Jun 23, 2008 10:31 pm

Dear Editor,

After learning that the Rumford Police and Fire Department are not allowed to engage in political activity, I feel that this rule should also apply to our Rumford Board of Selectmen. This year Brad Adley, openly advocated for Rumford voter's to choose both Rob Cameron and Greg Buccina. And, he and his wife also paid for ads in both the Rumford Falls Times and the Sun Journal advocating for the Rumford voter's to elect Cameron and Buccina. I do not think that is fair, ethical, or appropriate.

The Rumford Board of Selectmen should be held to the same standards that they are holding the Department Heads and employees to. Whether Brad Adley meant to or not, it gave the appearance that he was trying to stack the Board with people who support his ideals and agendas. When in fact, we need a diverse group of people on the Rumford Board of Selectmen to ensure that all the perspectives are heard and acted upon.

This year I would like to suggest that we create a new ordinance that ensures that future Rumford Board of Selectmen members be held to the same standards as the Police and Fire Department and that they not be allowed to engage in political activity of any kind or be allowed to influence an appointment of any kind.

Jennifer Norris
Rumford Citizen

Jennifer Norris is a member of the Finance Committee, yet she runs a website that strongly supported Mark Belanger and attacked Greg Buccina. Her website posts inaccurate information about Mr. Buccina to boot. Why is it OK for a finance Committee member to advocate for their choice for selectmen and not for a Selectman and business owner in town? I’m guessing it’s because Greg wouldn’t be controlled by her. You can bet if Mr. Adley had advocated for her boy Mark, TRR would be giving him a free pass to do whatever he wanted.

It isn’t about if someone is in the right or wrong, it’s clearly about if TRR agrees with them.

by Timeout Tue Jun 24, 2008 1:00 am

Supporting people who support your values is the nature of politics. People support different candidates for a variety of reasons, including, I suppose, "personal agendas". I would like to propose an ordinance that forbids the use of the term "personal agenda"...lol...hey, and how about an ordinance that says something about "live and let live", and maybe one more that says "love your enemy" (or at least "let's be frenemies")?

by Timeout Tue Jun 24, 2008 6:42 am

Chuck - I hear you. I resist the temptation to go to troublesome web sites...maybe we could start a support group for people who are trying to quit...lol... Seriously, my life doesn't have room for extra negativity, plus every time a site is visited, it boosts the count and the availability of their information.

by C Tue Jun 24, 2008 9:55 am

I suppose some have to visit the "troublesome" website in order to negate whatever the latest foolishness they are publishing.

What is this? TRR doesn't say how the remainder of the board voted? They are implying that Buccina alone denied the money... Now Buccina is off the board their next target will be Mr. Adley, on the board at least.

For Mr. Buccina to deny Shurtleff and the Moontide Festival Committee the $8,000 for a fireworks show that not only entertains us as a community but entertains many, many other people from out of town is just plain

criminal. Did we mention that it is one of the best, if not the best, fireworks shows in the State of Maine, possibly New England? Did we mention how much time and energy that our dedicated volunteers put into this

show to make it so successful? For Mr. Buccina to state that he would not give Mr. Shurtleff the money because of "budgetary constraints" is reprehensible (just plain wrong). This is the same guy who wanted the

municipal budget to go in front of the voters with a ZERO so that they could decide how much they think each department should get because he didn't want to cut his friend's budgets at the Fire Department and Police Department.

What is this? TRR doesn't say how the remainder of the board voted? They are implying that Buccina alone denied the money...

by Admin Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:28 pm

The TRR want people to believe that the reason that people are upset with them is because some people used to be in power and now they are not. All you have to do is read our website to figure out the real reason people are upset with them. It is because they use their website to bully and attack others. They seek to destroy anyone who doesn’t fall in line with them. They did it to Jolene Lovejoy and to a less extent, Jim Thibodeau. They have worked hard to injure Greg Buccina and Brad Adley. They have attacked the Rumford Fire Department, the Rumford Police Department, our two former town managers, our police chief and anyone else who disagrees with them. They even attacked the reporters of the Sun Journal and the Rumford Falls Times. Those personal attacks have caused incredibly damage to this town and to some of the people in it.

In the recent article blaming Greg Buccina for the lack of fireworks funding, they don’t mention that 4 out of 5 selectmen were in favor of not funding the fireworks, including Mark Belanger and Frank Diconzo. They choose to use this as an opportunity to beat up Greg, calling the behavior “criminal” and “reprehensible”. Well, I believe that sort of inaccurate and malicious “reporting” is criminal and reprehensible.

When I was young, if I told half truths, my father didn’t mess around. He called it for what it was, lying. There was no wiggle room. He knew how to deal with people that lied to him.

Our town selectmen are the "fathers" of our town. I have my ideas about what our town fathers should do to protect this town from the damage that is being wrought. Instead of sharing my views, I’d like to ask our viewers, how should our selectmen respond?

by T Tue Jun 24, 2008 12:52 pm

Regardless of one's political point of view, position on issues, and vision of Rumford's future, when anyone posts, publishes, prints anything that is libelous, slanderous, or inaccurate (a lie) regarding Rumford, its citizens, and its employees, the Rumford Board of Selectmen should make a public statement correcting and/or condemning the party or parties involved.

This would require impartiality, objectivity and courage.

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