Just when you think that a snake has crawled under a rock and swallowed his poisonous tongue, he rears his ugly head and begins to spew his venom again.Time and time again, Mr. Fitzgerald and his “acolyte”, Ed McCoy, have used their poisonous pens to malign, slander and demonize me without one time having the decency or professionalism to interview me for my side of the story.  Is that really responsible journalism? Never mind the truth as neither of these gentlemen have any regard for that and would never let the truth get in the way of a bad story.  Fitzgerald’s article (book) in last week’s Herald was laughable for the misinformation and outright lies he related regarding the story about the Lord Botetourt Gym and the efforts by some to have it named after Don Meredith. 

Let’s begin with his assertion that, as Board Chairman, I “removed Meredith from the supervisors’ school liaison committee:  Well here is a news flash for you Fitz - I wasn’t the Board Chairman when Mr. Meredith was “removed”.  In fact, no one removed Mr. Meredith – he elected to withdraw from the committee after I refused to serve with him.  Would it have been so hard for you to find out the truth before you slandered me with a lie?  Why did I refuse to serve with him?  Was it because I am “…less than enthusiastic, if not disdainfully antagonistic ….. in regard to public schools” as you asserted?  No, actually, it was because for two years, Mr. Meredith sat in meeting after meeting of the Budget Committee and never questioned a single expenditure of the School Board!

And, Gee, I wonder how you came by the copy of the personal letter I sent to Mr. Meredith “..accusing him of …orchestrating the whole thing (about naming the gym after him)”.  You stated that “….my vehement activities (there’s that name calling again) are not backed by an official position openly discussed and publicly voted on by the supervisors”.  You are absolutely right.  I didn’t bring it up in public session, hoping to spare Mr. Meredith the embarrassment, but now you have managed to tell everyone in the County the sordid tale.  I did write that letter after I had a School Board member tell me that they thought that what he was doing was inappropriate and bordered on a conflict of interest.  You went on to assert that “Assaid has contacted the School Board Chairman and the School Superintendent to lobby against the gym naming…”

 
That, sir, is a bald faced lie and I dare you to back up that outrageous statement.  I only spoke with the School Board Chairman on one occasion when she questioned whether Mr. Meredith’s actions were unethical and wondered if it were a conflict of interest.  I did speak with two other School Board Members and the School Superintendent who all confirmed that Meredith was involved in encouraging others to lobby them to name the gym after him and one even stated that what Don was doing was “an embarrassment”. 

Why would I care if they named the gym or anything else after Don Meredith?  That is the purview of the School Board.  What I do care about is a sitting Supervisor acting unethically and pressuring a board over whom he has some control, to comply with his wishes. 

As Board Chairman, am I supposed to ignore such allegations by high ranking members of the community?  No, I thought I handled it in the best manner possible, by writing a discreet, personal letter to Don Meredith, asking him to cease from his actions.

Finally, you love to refer to Blue Ridge Supervisor, Billy Martin, as my “acolyte”.  How dare you continue to insult a good and decent man who votes his own conscience?  I ask you and Mr. McCoy, whose acolytes are both of you?  Some time back when Mr. Clinton wrote a letter to the editor of the Fincastle Herald, positing his thoughts on how the proposed quarry north of Fincastle could possibly be a good thing, who was it at The Herald who made that letter available to Mr. Meredith and to other businessmen opposed to the quarry before the letter was even published?

Again, I ask you both, is that ethical business practice?  Is that responsible and professional journalism?  It is past time for your newspaper to stop acting like a small town gossip rag and start acting like a professional publication, allowing articles on both sides of an issue instead of resorting to continuous character assassination.

You refer to Mr. Meredith’s bulldog tenacity.  That’s interesting since he seems to have told everyone in the County about my letter but has failed to mention one word to my face!  I guess that he and you prefer to spread your misinformation and outright lies across the pages of the newspaper instead of having a constructive dialogue.

Next time (and I am quite sure there will be a next time), try to get your “facts” right before you “make up your own truth – sort of like you make up words (clusterclutch?).  But, hey, you know, it is easy to hide behind the First Amendment and throw all the nasty darts you want without any consequences except looking like a fool, which you manage quite nicely.

Don Assaid, Chairman Board of Supervisors