Councilman Hovey owes firemen an apology
To the editor:
I watched the Dec. 12 City Council meeting on channel 16 and I’m writing this letter to address one particular issue; however before doing so, I’d like to make one comment about the City Council. With the exception of one member, I have never seen such disregard for the citizens of Presque Isle by “their” council.
Mr. George Melvin Hovey read from a document that he identified as a contract between a town and its firefighters. He didn’t reveal what town this contract was for. I’m surprised that the chairperson didn’t make him do so before making it part of the record. It turns out, it was the contract for the town of Houlton, which may explain why he was reluctant to reveal that information. You see, Houlton FD provides ambulance service, therefore, this is like comparing apples to oranges.
Mr. Hovey then unfairly berated the full-time members of the Fire Department in the most despicable way with what appeared to be a look of glee on his face and an “I gotcha” tone in his voice. He took them to task concerning the fact that several full-timers live outside the city of Presque Isle.
Well, Mr. Hovey, these men or women all live within the area allowed by the legal contract they have with the city of Presque Isle and you should be ashamed of yourself for using such a red herring to try and confuse the issue.
I don’t know if others have noticed, but in my opinion Mr. Hovey has a vendetta against the Presque Isle Fire Department which has affected his judgment. I feel that Mr. Hovey owes the firefighters a public apology for his transgressions and lack of respect for city of Presque Isle employees.
In closing, I wonder if the new deputy “Barney” city manager will have to learn how to drive a fire truck before being hired.
Stephen Gordon Patterson
Presque Isle
