‘Surprised, confused and angered' by articles

To the Editor: I was surprised, confused and angered as I read the two articles in the Nov. 17 Sparta Independent written by Mr. Harkins. I attended the same board of education meeting as Mr. Harkins on Monday and witnessed a markedly different event. While Dr. Morton did apologize for hiring Dr. Monks at a low salary, he explained the reasoning behind his decision, which, in itself was sound, not just a “mistake” as Mr. Harkins represents it. Also, I took comprehensive notes through the entire meeting and have no recollection of Dr. Morton crediting Dr. Monks with increasing test scores. This was not the first time Mr. Harkins has made this statement. There were many positive issues, and presentations at this meeting. None of these were reported. The article on Mr. Murphy’s election to town council seems to state that he recieved 58.9% of the vote. I watched this election closely and Mr. Murphy only recieved about 36% of the vote. Unfortunately, the majority vote was split between the two registered Republicans on the ballot. This casts a much different light on the election results. Lifestyles and work schedules of Sparta residents prevent many from attending these meetings. Therefore, they rely on publications such as yours for information on how the town and school district are operating. The misinformation published gives your readers an unrealistic view of what is happening in our town. This is not the first time this has happened. It appears that Mr. Harkins writes with the intent to provoke a reaction rather than to report the facts. Sparta faces many critical issues. If we are to resolve them in a reasonable amount of time with fiscal responsibility, we need comprehensive, factual reporting to our voters and taxpayers. Geof Doubleday Sparta