Dear Editor,

 

I think it is time you come out in public and support Vidant and their loyalists. You are hiding behind journalistic integrity earned by your paper’s previous owner. I have been shocked at some of the lies you have allowed to be in your paper over just the last couple of weeks.

First, you allowed the Pantego Creek L.L.C. managers once again to justify their unjustifiable position through a lie. Your paper stated again, after several notices to the contrary, that the L.L.C. managers have never seen a business plan showing our hospital can be successful. I have them on video being shown a business plan by the Chief Financial Officer of Rural Community Hospitals of America. This was the business plan for which the town paid $30,000 to make sure we were fighting a battle worth fighting. They were also invited to other public showings of the business plan. They even agreed to attend a meeting with the Federal Mediator on our case only to stand her up after she traveled from Atlanta.

Secondly, there was another false sound off in your paper this past week. It stated that during a clean up at our Charlie Smith Center someone found 200 T-shirts from The Walk in a box. It went on to say that this shows the Mayor’s disrespect for taxpayers money. There were 43 shirts and they were left at the center after a fundraiser in July. The T-shirts were paid for by donations and not tax dollars. Also, the fundraiser raised over $7,000 for the Save the Hospital effort.

The fact is you are choosing to support Vidant and their loyalists over the people of our area, who are without an emergency room and hospital. Your editorial in the Friday paper shows again you have picked sides.

It looks like I will be walking again this coming week. On Tuesday or Wednesday, I will be walking to Raleigh instead of Washington, D.C. to draw attention and help, concerning our last hurdle to reopening our hospital. Maybe you should get on the side of justice. We have the money to open our hospital, why shouldn’t we be able too?

 

Sincerely,

Adam O’Neal

Mayor of Belhaven