Last week, the Mayor, Jeannette Townsend accused me of being boorish and unprofessional in my competitor’s paper. I commend her for committing herself to print.

It takes guts to do it.

There is a finality to it. Recorded in ink on paper, it is no longer just a passing remark, or a cheap shot. It is history.

Since October 2001, when my wife and I moved to this valley, my job has been ‘reporter.’ During that time, I’ve learned a lot about the craft. But long before I ever considered a career in journalism, I knew the spirit of it.

Townsend’s current troubles with the electorate aren’t something I have brought into being through slanted reportage. They are the product of the spirit of this great craft.

While it took guts for Townsend to disparage me, it took no such effort for me to print her comments about the residents of this valley.

I simply reported what she said in an open public meeting.

It doesn’t get any simpler. Not reporting that story and the tenor of that now infamous meeting would have been tantamount to negligence.

Townsend’s letter doesn’t address the central troubling remarks reported in the Times, which propelled the minutes of the Regional District meeting to the front page of the paper. Instead she speaks about rednecks, another comment she made in public, but acts as though I have somehow libelled her. After a lengthy, charged, respectful interview I reported the context, her take on it, and the dictionary definition of a redneck.

Every week I write between seven and ten stories about events, issues and the people that make up this valley. Each one of them is an opportunity for a lawsuit. But there is no pending lawsuit regarding my stories of two weeks ago.

You just cannot sue a reporter or a newspaper for writing down something you say in a public meeting, especially as an elected official. I gave Townsend the opportunity of explaining her actions and faithfully reported them.

In her letter to the editor of the Valley Sentinel, Mayor Townsend alludes to the host of prominent journals she has been interviewed by, including The New York Times. Apparently, if they had handled the story it would have come out differently or perhaps not at all.

It looks like The New York Times could use some help.

In the meantime, I stand by my stories.

I consider it an honour that Her Worship acknowledges the impact of my work on our community and recognizes the passion I have for this job.

Townsend’s passion helps make my job interesting. History will show (in part because I’ve written it) that the Times has treated her fairly over the years.

Andru McCracken