By Patricia Bogumil
Editor
A four-page election flyer distributed in Waterford township has led to a “cease and desist” letter being sent to Commissioner Bill Gerard of the Town of Waterford Sanitary District (WSD).
Entitled “Newsletter No. 2 from Bill Gerard,” the flyer airs Gerard’s grievances about what he perceives as past and present wrongdoings.
Among several individuals named as people with whom Gerard has grievances are Ed Nadolski, editor-in-chief of Southern Lakes Newspapers and Waterford Post editor Pat Bogumil.
The warning letter was sent to Gerard, Nadolski explained, because Gerard’s newsletter contains false statements about the Waterford Post and himself personally that Gerard presents as if these untruths are factual, Nadolski said.
But, even worse, Gerard knowingly distributed the material even after being advised that the statements were false, Nadolski said.
Gerard had earlier submitted his Newsletter No. 2 for possible distribution through the Hi-Liter shopper, a sister publication of the Waterford Post.
Gerard was notified at that time that he would not be able to present the untrue information in the newsletter as if it is factual.
Gerard declined to change the questionable material; the proposed distribution work was declined; and Gerard instead chose to privately distribute the flyer via residents’ mailbox hooks.
Gerard’s contention that the Post allows Town Chairman Robert Langmesser access to news articles to proof and comment on before publication is simply untrue, Nadolski explained.
Langmesser, and other elected officials, are routinely sought out for comment about local issues, he said. Their responses are made to specific questions asked by reporters doing their job.
“For you to assert otherwise is false and damaging to our reputation as a news source,” Nadolski wrote to Gerard.
Also untrue is Gerard’s contention that the Post’s editor-in-chief wrote an article without first investigating the accuracy of some unspecified assertion supposedly made by Dan Dickinson, who is seeking to unseat Gerard from the WSD board.
“I’ve never written any articles regarding the Sanitary District,” Nadolski explained.
If Gerard is referencing a letter written to commissioners about perceived violations of the state’s Open Meetings Law, that letter was written after consultation with an attorney who specializes in such matters, Nadolski said.
“At no time did I consult with Dan Dickenson, whom I’ve never met, spoken to or corresponded with,” Nadolski added.
“To say my letter was ‘based on Dickenson’s assertion’ and written ‘without investigating’ is also false and defamatory.”
Nadolski also notes that despite Gerard’s assertion that he has found it “impossible to get an unbiased article written” in the Post, Gerard has in fact been allowed free news space on multiple occasions for his opinion articles (see page 4).
Nadolski’s cease-and-desist letter calls on Gerard to stop repeating the statements in question in writing or otherwise, and also calls for a retraction from Gerard in a manner “similar to your original publication and distribution.”
“If you persist, I will consider all legal remedies available to the newspaper and me.”
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