Picture perfect

From the Caledonian Record

- To the Editor:

With this year once again being an election year and with the ever-present pictures of Janice Peaslee in the press taking credit for all things great and small, I am reminded of 2002 when American Tissue in Gilman locked it doors to workers with no notice; and Janice showing up only at the meetings that reporters were present at to make sure her picture got in the paper.

But I cannot honestly remember any constructive help that she offered to any of the workers or their families. My husband and I attended all of the meetings because he was one of the workers that lost his job after working there for 38 years.

I will admit that Janice was really good at avoiding answering any questions directed at her. I for one got the impression that we were lower class working people so whatever happened to us was of no real concern to people of her standing and she was doing us a favor by just showing up.

The union was working hard on getting answers and their lawyers along with them. Union President Steven Bean and Vice President Bruce Couturier were always willing to try and get answers for us when it was possible. We will be forever grateful to them, but there is also another person that helped us and that was Stephanie Sterling, at that time just getting her foot into the political race for state representative.

I called her and asked for her help. Stephanie did not hesitate to give me phone numbers, names, and agencies in Vermont that would help the families get temporary help with their immediate needs. Stephanie made a point of keeping in touch with me to make sure there wasn't something else that she could help us with. She understood the devastation of what had happened to all of the workers.

She started her own campaign to contact Vermont officials to make them aware of the strife of the workers. Bernie Sanders' office was one of the places that always returned our calls and did their very best to find answers for us.

Once Ms. Peaslee was re-elected, the mill workers were rarely mentioned until the new owners of the mill opened it again and of course Janice was there to have her picture taken for the few permits that she helped arrange.

As for the River Road project - will she be explaining the near wash out of the road due to the heavy rain this week as adding to its scenic ride?

I think it is time our area really takes a look at what is truly going on around us and start checking out the actual work claimed to have been done by our present representative before voting her in for another term.

We need someone who will be accountable and effective as our state representative and I believe we should be taking a look at our new candidate Stephanie Sterling.

Sincerely

Aggie McCullock

Lunenburg

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