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Textbook Example

Mr. Pacileo’s letter of June 8, “Has The Courage”, is a textbook example of a political attack masquerading as political discourse. It is truly disappointing to see the dialogue for the election of the State Representative for our district descend to the sorry spectacle of unfounded sniping.

Everyone who knows Phil Miller, including the thousands who have voted for him throughout our district, would recognize as absurd any assertion that he ‘heaped praise on himself” with regard to the 2015-2016 budget…or anything else. That’s not Phil Miller. If anything, he goes out of his way to heap praise on others.

Equally disturbing is Mr. Pacileo’s not-so-subtle inference that Phil Miller lacks the courage to fight for our district. That assertion ignores, among other things, the fact that Phil fought hard to keep education grants for the towns in our district in the 2016-2017 budget, and he stood up to special interests, leading the tough fight to pass Right To Know legislation, a major step forward in protecting the health and safety of everyone in our district.

Mr. Pacileo’s personal attack on Phil Miller bears no resemblance to honest political dialogue. The fact that it ends with an endorsement for an inexperienced candidate reveals the partisan political intent of the letter.

Mr. Pacileo was voted out of office in Essex largely because of his belief that clinging to ideology is a substitute for finding practical solutions to the issues facing our towns. Let’s hear the candidates address those issues. There is a lot at stake for our district in the coming election, and the road to an informed voting decision is certainly not paved with cheap shots.

Jonathan James

Essex