WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SILVER LAKE DAILY NEWSLETTER that was filled with daily news stories and used to attract hundreds of readers? Click on the ??? link for the story.
CURRENT CONTACT INFORMATION: 585-483-8435; Email: greg.franklin.perry.ny@gmail.com; Mail: G. Franklin, PO Box 19, Silver Lake NY 14549.

Sunday, July 18, 2021



An Editorial Apology
to Our Readers, Community

The Editor was Wrong 
to Pull the Article

This past Tuesday, July 13, 2021, we  received a police report from last summer that appeared in the VideoNewsService.com. We were able to verify its veracity quite easily and so it was published. It was later taken down by the SLDN editor by request of the SLI President. (I use the pronoun "we" because I depend on the input and insights of my volunteer editorial group for a healthy balance of journalism, community standards, and even a review of appropriate Christian standards.) 

Further complicating the removal of a truthful article was the Nominating Committee's apparent unwillingness to address their part in the absence of the information both prior to its discovery (on the part of the Nominee) and after it had been revealed. Instead, the Nominating Committee emailed the SLDN's editor by stating, "I understand that you have posted the police blotter to your blog. I find this very troubling and highly recommend that you take this down. Even with these offenses, [name of person] could run for public office; therefore, s/he should be allowed to run for Trustee."

Our Editor's Response: "As a matter of fact, the SLDNewsletter does not run "the police blotter," but rather runs only individual news releases of arrests that are deemed significant by each police reporting agency within Wyoming County or where Wyoming County residents are affected. As you are aware, we are an independent news blog covering all of the communities of Silver Lake including SLI. We have, in this case, removed the article in question, as per your request. Because of the relevance of the subject, we continue to allow the comment streams to continue and not be edited out. We have printed one of the comments as an article because it is supportive of [the arrested individual] and we deemed it helpful [to the arrested individual's cause].

As the reader can clearly see by the two preceding paragraphs, the Editor of SLDN, in his rush to reconcile with the SLI Trustees and its Nominations Committee, unwittingly became a part of the attempt to eliminate legitimate and truthful information to which the voting public was and is entitled. The SLDN's argument never was that [the arrested individual] "should be allowed to run for Trustee." That is true and we do not object to it. 

Our sole objection is to the apparent attempt to non-disclose the information after it became known. We here at SLDN are therefore, complicit in the non-disclosure at the point that we agreed to the principles in the non-disclosure by agreeing to pull the article as the Editor did and then running Dr. Bob Cook's recommendation in its place.

Therefore, the SLDN got "out of balance" by allowing our personal Christian principles of compassion and forgiveness to far outweigh our journalistic principles--specifically those involving truth and admission of guilt (disclosure) which are also Christian in nature. For this (complicity with non-disclosure by removing the article) we offer our sincerest apologies to our readers and all members of the SLI community and Silver Lake-wide communities. We hope the SLI Trustees will join us in this apology for promoting non-disclosure over truth/disclosure. Let us allow the "truth to set us free."

If you did not have the opportunity of reading Part Two of the Arrests, we provide that second half of the article by clicking on "read more."

Arthur P. Smart, Defying SLI Rules,
Makes Discussion of Handbook Saturday
All the More Relevant

The same article, highlighting the same Sheriff's Report, names another SLI resident, well known for his speeding around one-lane SLI streets east of Perry Ave. and on Perry Ave. itself--on his four-wheeler and allowing his nephew's underage son, appearing to be about 10, to follow him on another four-wheeler at the same unsafe and noisy speed. 

In addition to speeding and unlicensed driving, this same family has been in violation of another Handbook provision, i.e., having and/or storing an unlicensed, unregistered motor vehicle which has been parked on their property for over 8 years. When the property owner is approached about his violations, it is reported that he simply states, "Talk to my lawyer," which apparently has not been done.

The news article states:

On July 23, 2020, following a traffic stop on Route 19 in the Town of Covington, Arthur P. Smart, 48, of Perry, was arrested for driving while ability impaired by drugs.

Smart was stopped for failing to exercise due care while passing two National Grid utility vehicles that were working on the shoulder of the roadway of Route 19.

Smart is accused of almost striking a worker wearing a bright yellow safety vest. He was transported to the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Office where he submitted to a drug influence evaluation conducted by a NYS Certified Drug Recognition Expert.

Following the evaluation, Smart was determined to be impaired by two separate drugs and unable to operate a motor vehicle safely. Smart is charged with DWAI/drugs, DWAI/drugs combo, reckless driving, unlawful possession of marijuana 2nd Degree, failure to exercise due care to avoid collision with hazard vehicle, and unlawful stickers.

Smart was released following processing, issued appearance tickets for all charges and is scheduled to appear in the Town of Covington Court at a later date.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Genuine commenting is warmly welcomed--Advertising is not welcome in the Comment Section and will be removed without further explanation.