Miller assumes

Posted

“Never assume anything” is a journalism creed not learned by Dean Miller, as evidenced by his editorial published Oct 9.

The editor assumes that I am “in charge in these parts” by operating a Facebook page. No, I was just more forward thinking than county officials in 2012 by starting a Jefferson County Washington Facebook page, after previously being the first to broadcast BOCC meetings live. Writing on assumption, he must not know that in 2012 Facebook advised agencies to add the word “government” to their page names. With research, he would have found hundreds of pages named after cities and counties that are not government sites.

My page does not purport to be a government site. In terms of content on the Jefferson County Washington page, about 95 percent is straight information from legitimate sources. Often, my page covers items that newspapers ignore; maybe that’s why it’s so popular.

Mr. Miller assumes that executive sessions conducted by the Jefferson County Commissioners to discuss “actual litigation” in compliance with the state Open Public Meetings Act must be about me. Not true, to my knowledge. My pending legal concerns with the county are being addressed slowly and surely through mediation. And since you assume that mediation between myself and the county is wrong; what about the county’s mediation with Tarboo Ridge Coalition?

Mr. Miller assumes that I don’t care about septic permits, speculating that I’m a “hepatitis denier.” The facts show that Fort Discovery Corp. filed a septic permit application which as of a letter dated June 4, 2019, is waiting on county approval.

Mr. Miller assumes that I am interfering with constitutional government. How? Checking out a Facebook page is a choice. Reading a newspaper is a choice. If you don’t like it, simply don’t go there. Of course, then all you have left are assumptions.

Joe D’Amico
Discovery Bay