To the editor:

I would like to respond to the Sept. 26 Portsmouth Times article about a local candidates forum that included myself, David M. Gleason, an incumbent Republican candidate seeking two additional years. Hopefully, the readership will understand, if they don’t already, that this is the time of the year for political mudslinging.

I will further state that the Times has a very biased political slant, in my humble opinion, but I’ll let you decide for yourself.

Yes, I am one of five Trustees of the Common Fence Point Association, who was pushed for information by Jim McGaw about my involvement and reasoning about the “abrupt cancellation” of the League of Woman Voters of Newport County (LWVNC) Forum. Mr. McGaw was informed, when he called me on a Tuesday morning, for the reasoning behind MY decision and for a response to his previous query. I told him that the response from the Trustees, five individuals, not just from me, was no response.

He pushed harder and my comment: “Basically it’s none of your business”, which I’m sure makes for great reading, is simply a fair statement. Our organization and its decision-making policies, like other similar private organizations, are not meant for the general public and certainly not for publication in the Times.

When told of Chuck Levesque’s charges that I purposely acted to get the forum cancelled altogether, I said: “That’s not true” — another fair statement. I am sorry that the League had to seek another venue, and I personally recommended several other venues, including Portsmouth Middle School, where the event was held, and where I happily attended. I extended my apologies, on behalf of the Trustees and personally to the League. 

After the forum, I had a brief conversation with Scott Pickering of the East Bay Media Group, and the moderator of the forum. I expressed my opinion that the Times is a Democrat-leaning publication, and suggested that we are now in the mudslinging phase of local politics. I opined that the biggest slinger of mud was Mr. Levesque, who had to be silenced on at least two occasions at the forum, which he admitted he regularly does. I can quote him as having said: “I interrupt people, it’s just what I do.” My own public quote about Chuck is that he is simply an “unruly person.” That’s as nice as I can put it.

I’d also like to know what was the writer’s intent when it was stated that Ms. Stenning of League took “issue with Gleason’s remarks on Tuesday”? Was it denying that other organizations had denied the use of their facilities due to their beliefs, mission statements or Bylaws or her interpretation of the CFPA bylaws? Ultimately an interpretation and a vote by a majority (same as a decision and vote by the Portsmouth Town Council) was made by board members, not just by myself. I hope I have been clear.

I would like to comment on some other items mentioned by the writer. Mentioning past political events where a vandal(s) spray painted “Not Welcome (sic) Demon Rats” just seems to further divide the Ds and Rs. Also, just for the record, the last stop listed for U.S. Senate candidate, Patricia Morgan’s “Whistlestop Tour” showed an ice cream social listed 933 Anthony Road. This was an error and it was supposed to list the CFP Access Road for meeting the train. Please consider fact-checking this type of information before publishing.

Mr. Levesque can verify this with a relative who lives in CFP, as I asked Ms. Levesque and her husband, who were there on the Access Road, to come aboard the train to join us for ice cream that day. Sadly, they declined, I suspect due to political party differences. It’s too bad they missed the chance to try Warwick Ice Cream’s new flavor, The Bridge is Falling Down. Lastly, I do proudly support Ms. Morgan’s campaign.

David M. Gleason

63 Massasoit Ave.

Portsmouth