Trevon Milliard's story concerning the "anonymous letter" fails to mention that immediately following the mailing of the letter I posted my name on Sun Valley Online as one of the contributors. He also fails to mention that the Idaho Mountain Express prints "Our View" columns that are unsigned and the writer unidentified. I might add that Mr. Ribi is the beneficiary of an ad placed in the Idaho Mountain Express identified only by the name of the group, "Save Sun Valley," no individuals identified.
Save Sun Valley accepted donations from Milt Adam, who was a large contributor, and myself with the explicit promise that the sole purpose of the group was to defeat consolidation, not to be political. If their ad was financed with donated money, Mr. Adam's money was used to promote his opponent (Nils Ribi) and that is unacceptable. In essence, Mr. Adam supported Save Sun Valley and they dumped on him.
To check the facts printed in the letter concerning Ribi's voting record, go to City Hall to verify. Ribi calls names but refuses to address the charges and for obvious reasons.
I have no problem with publicly criticizing Mr. Ribi and have done so in the past. I find it particularly objectionable that Ribi uses his Web site and his extensive e-mail list to criticize and correct his fellow council members when they disagree with him and to promote himself while doing so. Removal of Ribi as council chair would certainly improve the atmosphere in council chambers.
Actually, our letter was quite gentle with Mr. Ribi and we adhered to the facts. In a paid ad, Linda Thorson and Theresa Comber referred to Ribi as, "the lap dog for an extremist mayor." That is a bit harsh but the ladies are entitled to their opinion.
Franz M. Suhadolnik
Sun Valley
Editor's note: It is common and accepted practice for newspapers to publish "unsigned" editorials on the opinion pages. These columns, like "Our View," are the work of an editorial board assembled by the newspaper.
