ALFIERI: Deserves respect

Your editorial last Friday titled “Cd’A needs more than ‘angry’ in a mayor” was unfairly slanted against Joe Alfieri and toward Jim Hammond, even including a biblical reference to Mr. Hammond as the “anti-Alfieri.”

I have known Joe Alfieri for several years, and he is a reasonable, decent guy; a local homeowner; a regular church-goer; and his wife is one of our many local health care heroes at Kootenai Health. If Joe is angry about certain current issues, this doesn’t indicate that he would govern from an angry or confrontational point of view, only that he has a passion in his heart to serve our town.

To conclude the editorial by advising readers “not to fall for the mad-mob mentality,” and thereby equating Joe’s passion and concern with the mob mentality that disrupted a recent school board meeting, is a classic example of yellow journalism.

Jim Hammond sounds like an ideal candidate, and he would very likely make a fine mayor. Joe Alfieri is an equally respectable citizen and property owner, one who has been brave enough to throw his hat into the ring, concerned for the direction of our local government. This is an admirable step for any citizen to take.

Please let the voters decide whom they want to elect based upon the facts of that person’s record and platform, and not based upon an excessively slanted editorial in the Coeur d’Alene Press.

JEFF CONNAWAY

Coeur d’Alene