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It’s quite ironic, really.

Two different writers have suggested that the DeFuniak Free Press is making false claims. That we’re “slandering good people.” And that our claims don’t “hold up under the light of day.” That we’re twisting words. And that our website is full of lies.

And neither writer has offered a single shred of evidence.

Which is priceless given that they are guilty of the very thing they have accused us of doing: making claims without any substantiating evidence.

The difference, of course, is that we have substantiated our claims with facts. Using audio, council minutes, and even the candidates’ own campaign material, we have built a case for our council’s misdeeds. We have provided draft copies of minutes, and approved copies of minutes, highlighting the changes that were made and never acknowledged in a public meeting. We have provided proof of campaign contributions, made by an employee who was inexplicably protected in the face of unacceptable conduct. And we have used actual employee interview recordings to demonstrate the council’s inconsistent hiring practices.

So what one writer in the DeFuniak Springs Herald Breeze calls “vile nastiness,” we call uncomfortable facts.

It’s ironic, too, that both writers have made reference to our writers being “run… out of town” or getting us “…OUT of it’s [sic] government.” Doesn’t our Constitution guarantee the right to free speech? Isn’t the right to dissent an important part of our nation’s structure?

In the final bit of irony, we must agree with Keith Rowland in his “Letter to the Editor.” The only possible explanation for Ron Kelley’s handling of the minutes is that he had the voluntary cooperation of others at City Hall. Not everyone at City Hall, of course, but a select few who have turned a blind eye while the minutes were altered. And if, as Rowland suggests, the entire claim is a “smear campaign” with no basis in fact, why did Mac Work find it necessary to point out publicly, in a city council meeting, that he never asked the city clerk to change the minutes?

So our challenge to Rowland and Graham Campbell-Work is this: substantiate your claim. Provide an example of a lie, or a twisting of the truth, on the part of the DFP writers. Demonstrate, using our own words and evidence, when we have been dishonest.

Realize, though, that making sweeping claims about how a roomful of people couldn’t possibly be fooled doesn’t qualify as evidence. Neither does Kelley’s reputation for good grammar somehow prove he has been forthright with the minutes. In order to back up your claims, you must provide specific instances in which we have falsely accused our councilmen of unethical, dishonest behavior.

We welcome the opportunity to have a public discourse about the politics of DeFuniak Springs. We agree that this is a “wonderful community,” and we want nothing more than to see our representatives demonstrate ethics and integrity in government. We respect your right to disagree with our viewpoint, but we sincerely hope you’ll stick around and explain your position.

Honest legitimate dialogue can only benefit our town and the voters who reside here.