To the Editor:
When discussions are grounded in facts, our community is better equipped to make thoughtful decisions.
In his Aug. 15 letter, (“Pound Ridge Party responds to claim it denigrates office holders”), John McCown wrote, “The Pound Ridge Party has no connection — financial or otherwise — to any lawsuits against the town of Pound Ridge or its officials.” He continued, “While we may disagree … open dialogue is essential to a healthy democracy. The goal is not to ‘denigrate’ anyone, but … encourage informed discussion about how our town is managed. Citizens should avoid making unfounded accusations.”
Yet, in December 2023 — a month after losing the election and three days before Christmas — Mr. McCown served me, a Town Board member, with a frivolous lawsuit. Six months later, the judge summarily dismissed the case. Mr. McCown appealed, claiming that the judge misconstrued the law. Months later, the equally frivolous appeal was also dismissed.
This lawsuit was not about facts; it was a tactic meant to intimidate me for holding different political views and to discourage me and others from further public discourse regarding Mr. McCown’s ongoing challenges to the current Town Board’s work. Apart from the personal impact of this year-long ordeal, such tactics hurt the town in a broader way by discouraging the volunteerism and civic engagement that are essential to our community.
Equally concerning is the misinformation that has appeared in The Recorder and elsewhere.
Despite Mr. McCown’s statement that “Citizens should avoid making unfounded accusations,” his neighbor, Ed Gulbenkian, wrote in his Aug. 15 letter about our town pool (“Writer says Pound Ridge town pool is mismanaged”), “After seven years … plus thousands of gallons of makeup water, chemicals and great expense to the taxpayers the pool should be fixed! … Leaking pools leak water 52 weeks a year …”
The facts tell a different story. When asked about the current condition of the recently renovated town pools, our recreation supervisor replied, “The pools have not leaked in the past two summers, and we have not received any water deliveries since the new liners were installed. The pools have never functioned or looked better!”
Mr. Gulbenkian’s aquatics business specializes in swim goggles, swimwear and lifeguard apparel, but he’s no expert on the town pools.
That is why I repeat, when our conversations are grounded in facts, our residents are better positioned to make thoughtful, responsible decisions for the benefit of the entire community.
Diane Briggs
Town Board member, candidate for reelection
