Paid Letters to the Editor

We welcome letters to the Editor, a chance for members of the community to comment on issues of concern to them. All letters must be original, not duplications of letters addressed to public officials or written by others. The views and opinions expressed are those of the letter writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication, its publishers, Editor, or staff.

To the Editor:
First, I would like to acknowledge that the Foto News has recognized there is a major item on the budget, Pine Crest, that is important to Lincoln County.
The statement given at the September County Board meeting that the community survey will provide a “complete picture of the entire county” to gauge support, may have fallen short.
Initially, citizens were encountering problems that did not allow the survey to be processed. Many of these were addressed in the Sept. 28th edition, on the back page, 8 days into the 11-day window.

Of particular concern was asking those most affected to submit sensitive information that they have been told NOT to share; to use a tool that is uncomfortable, or that they may not have access to; that paper submittals would not be accepted, that the Foto News did not have the means to process them.
The assurance that “information will NEVER be sold or used for any other purpose” is GREAT, but came a bit too late.
Will the Foto News consider extending the window? Will you accept paper surveys and tally through a scanning process? How can citizens help?
Surveys can be a wonderful tool, but can also lead to or skew information if incomplete. Nevertheless, it is the process that the Foto News has provided. Many citizens worked with it. We did not turn our backs.
What we all want and deserve is a “complete picture of the entire county.”
Thank you.

– Eileen Guthrie
Town of Pine River, Wis.

Editor’s Note: The only information requested in this survey, to ensure the integrity of the data, was name (optional), email, address, and telephone number. This is not sensitive information; other than email addresses, such data is publicly available and for years was published in phone books. No sensitive information (i.e., dates of birth, social security number, or the like) was requested as a part of this survey.

The cost for Paid Letters to the Editor is $40.00 per letter of up to 250 words, plus $10.00 per additional 50 words, and must be prepaid prior to printing.