To the Editor:
According to history books the last witch hunt in New England was at the end of the 17th century. Unfortunately that is not true.
Last Tuesday [Wednesday-Ed.] evening I attended the selectmen’s meeting at the town office at which time the issue of police chief Steven Drake’s “indefinite paid leave” was discussed.
It is not necessary to rehearse (sic) again the outstanding job Chief Drake has done during this time in office; that has been documented by law enforcement people as well as hundreds of citizens.
What truly surprised me at the meeting was the transparency of this witch hunt.
There were oblique references to the fact that there may be issues other than the incident that precipitated the leave of absence but when questioned about it the board and town manager said ‘they were not at liberty to discuss/divulge them.’
When asked what the deadline was for a resolution to this dilemma the answer was that ‘there was no time frame.’
This leaves Chief Drake [and] in particular and the citizens of Damariscotta dangling in the wind. The immorality (sic) of how this is being handled is, in my mind, more important than the issue itself.
To treat a person who has given his all to protect and defend his fellow citizens in this manner is a disgrace to say the least. No matter how one feels about Chief Drake personally, human decency does not allow this kind of justice.
The town of Damariscotta is a beautiful, picturesque slice of New England and the people who live and work there are generous and caring.
This incident and the way it is being handled makes a mockery of officials representing their constituency as well as any notion of fairness. If the selectmen and town manager “get away” with this by not coming clean with their real motives for the vendetta and immediately reinstating Chief Drake, which are clearly the wishes of the citizens, then I fear for the future of Damariscotta and Lincoln County.
Forgive me if I seem a little hot under the collar but injustice always makes my blood boil.
Suzanne Hallett, Nobleboro
