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This week’s edition!

Message from TCT about mayor’s column

Twin City TIMES has been thrust into the media frenzy about Mayor Bob Macdonald’s weekly column. We’d like to clarify a few points.

First, the Sun Journal and the Bangor Daily News quoted Gen Lysen, lead organizer of Maine People’s Alliance, saying that “Maine People’s Alliance members have complained to the [TCT] publisher about Macdonald’s column but have had no response.”

This is simply not true. We would never ignore such a complaint. We have not received any letters, calls or emails from anyone identified as a member of Maine People’s Alliance. We are always more than willing to print any Letters to the Editor, columns or op/eds from anyone in the community, especially if they are opposed to anything they have seen in TCT.

As loyal readers of TCT know, we welcome everyone’s point of view, and we would be more than happy to print a response written by anyone. We have asked Maine People’s Alliance for submissions written by their members or someone in the local Somali community.

Second, this is our word-for-word response emailed to a Sun Journal reporter who inquired why Mayor Macdonald’s column did not appear in our last edition:

“Thanks for your questions. Mayor Macdonald did submit a column, but we made the decision not to publish it last week. With the media frenzy surrounding the mayor’s comments, we thought it would be best to let everything settle down.

“We want to be clear that the mayor’s comments and columns do not reflect our personal opinions or the editorial position of Twin City TIMES.

Twin City TIMES has always provided a forum for community debate, and we have always published letters or columns or op/eds that address controversial topics. For over four years, we published former mayor Larry Gilbert’s columns, which were extremely liberal.

“Although we at TCT did not agree with all of Gilbert’s opinions, we still published his column. In fact, we received many complaints over the years about Gilbert’s columns. But we do not censor opinions just because they are different than our own.

TCT still believes in the First Amendment right for citizens to express themselves, even if some of those expressions are considered inflammatory by other citizens who object to them.

“While we do not share many of Mayor Macdonald’s opinions, we publish his column because it represents a point of view held by many residents of Lewiston. We have received many phone calls and emails urging us to continue running the mayor’s columns.

“We will monitor the situation and then determine whether to continue to publish the mayor’s column.”

Finally, we at TCT sincerely appreciate your tremendous feedback, which we have received by email, phone calls, letters and posts on our Facebook page and website. As always, we encourage our readers to submit Letters to the Editor, op/eds, columns or any other content. Healthy debate on controversial issues facing L-A community is always a good thing.

Please send your submissions to editor@twincitytimes.com.

4 Responses to “Message from TCT about mayor’s column”

  • My wife and I appreciate a politician who speaks frankly! Macdonald as well as our Governor speaks with out being “politically correct” and basically tells it as it is! We need more people out there who represents the hard working tax payer to speak out for them.We wish there would be more people like them than the cowards who hide behind their political parties in order to keep their little careers in government .Who are they really representing?

    • jackie:

      I agree that the mayor need not apologize. He speaks honestly and frankly. Why do people get so offended? Where is your backbone? When the Irish and Franco-Americans settled in the twin cities, free aid was not available to them. They worked hard to make a living and were successful. They provided for their family with pride in the American way. Today people come to Maine for a free handout at the expense of the working natives. My taxes would not be so high if everyone coming to this state would work their fair share and pay their taxes. I am tired of free loading and handouts.

      • alyce:

        Washington County has the highest percentage of residents in the state receiving welfare. No large immigrant community there. Maybe find another scapegoat?

  • council:

    Why is it that the mayor should apoligize for the somalians? The somalians came here demanding everything free from the people…
    Lets get this straight – America is the land of the free, not land where everything free.
    The somali community should just deal with it, they are not helping themselves by crying like whiny schoolgirls about people picking on them- Free speech is a great thing when unhindered.

    Liberal weenies have ruined this great land- and when the glass ceiling collapses those who took advantage of their fellow man and neighbor will reap the whirlwind.

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