Opinions should not distort the facts in Fountain Hills
OPINION — In a recent letter a resident accused the mayor of being the timekeeper or operating the "time clock" at council meetings. This is grossly inaccurate and easily discernible, as the clock is positioned at the clerk’s seat and visible to everyone.
Such false and misleading information should never be printed in a newspaper when established town procedures prove otherwise. I pointed out the error to the editor who has since edited the opinion for accuracy.
This letter does not represent objectivity, which is a great example of the continual flood of letters that parlay false narratives over and over. Unfortunately, the proliferation of this type of unverified information or misinformation is much of what is being printed under the guise of “opinion” and letters. In doing so, it leads to the distortion of facts and reality unless people diligently challenge and correct them. We can’t change “opinions,” but we can fix blatantly false information that isn’t an opinion.
In accordance with town procedures, the town clerk starts the clock for every speaker when called to the podium. She is also responsible for "timing" the procedural guidelines of 30 minutes total for the call to the public. Will the Flourish PAC that reprinted the letter change their ridiculous AI-generated photo to Bev Bender now that the editor of the paper has edited the letter for accuracy? Will they admit they were wrong in their accusations?
I applaud the decision to move the call to the public to the end of the meeting and setting a maximum time limit. The purpose of call to the public is to speak on town matters or concerns not on the agenda.
Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.
