I made someone really angry with a recent article because I called people out for actions they had taken in the past while they were in a position of leadership in our town. This was a person I had supported in the past when he ran for political office. He was President of the Commissioners responsible for appointing Susan Botkin to an empty commission seat in 2023.
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Needless to say, he didn't like what I had to say so he immediately went on Facebook and lashed out at me. How he did it was revealing in many ways.
First, he pointed out to my readers my biggest sin; that I had supported a Democrat in a recent town election for commissioner. This Democrat was running against an incumbent who was a Republican. That Republican had done what I consider duplicitous actions in his tenure. Frankly, I just didn't think he was honest and above board. That was my opinion, one I am entitled to. The candidate I supported won.
Here is what this person wrote in an attempt to shame me:
But the question I have is this: Why did Jan actively support David Donovan for Commissioner?
Susan (Botkin) was appointed for just one year to fill a vacant seat. Jan, on the other hand, actively campaigned for David and worked to get him elected to a three-year term.
David is a Democrat who has supported Dan Schwartz, who is running against Congressman Andy Harris. So while Jan wants to rehash a one-year appointment from three years ago, I think it is fair to ask why she actively worked to elect a Democrat who is supporting the effort to defeat our Republican Congressman and potentially leave the Eastern Shore without Republican representation in Congress.
That seems like a much more relevant political decision to discuss during this election cycle.
His panties were definitely twisted. He went on to insult me. More on that later.
It's important that this person and others understand Oxford, the town I live in and have lived in for over 50 years. When it comes to electing our officials, we don't look at party. We look at character. The man I supported, Dave Donovan? Well, truth be told we probably don't agree on most national politics. I'm sure he and his wife support Dan Schwartz. I don't know how they feel about redistricting. And it doesn't matter to me.
What does matter to me is that Dave and his wife are good people. Truth be told, his wife can tussle with the best of them and I admire that. She's a fighter. Dave is too, but in a different way. We appreciate having him on the town commissioners for his common sense and expertise as a lawyer. I have immense respect for both of them.
Many of my friends and acquaintances in Oxford are in different political parties from me. Others are in the party I support. Somehow, we can all work for the common good of our town because WE LOVE OXFORD!
Political allegiance doesn't matter when we are talking about Oxford. We have had some great people from both parties run our town, and some pretty crappy ones too. We just came out of a decade of incompetence and negligence in how the town was run. I couldn't tell you the political affiliation of the people who were in charge. I can tell you they did a terrible job, leaving Oxford in a place now where (as my friend Pat says) we are cleaning up the mess. It's like putting out a dumpster fire while being armed with a water pistol.
What we need are good people and it doesn't matter what their political affiliation is. All that matters is that we do what we need to do to get this town back on track financially after Susan Botkin and others ran us off the financial cliff. The decisions she made in one year helped create a disaster we will deal with for a decade.
Some of my friends in the Republican party are not going to like or agree with that statement. But, the ones who are true friends will understand and respect my opinion. The citizens of Oxford will understand what I am saying. I'm not sure who else will.
As for the insult? He compared me to a bitter, nasty, Hollywood elite; Rosie O'Donnell. I could take that personally, but because it's so ridiculous I won't. In all fairness, we both have gray hair, wear glasses, and have a few more wrinkles with age. I am not, however, an angry, militant lesbian.
I'll just chalk the comparison up to an immature, childish, temper tantrum. People don't like the truth about their actions exposed. If nothing else, it makes for a good laugh.
This is just one example of the vitriol thrown my way by this individual and others. I can't print a lot of it.
