To the editor:

This front page editorial, purporting to be a news story, is not worthy of the Record.

Not only were unsubstantiated allegations presented as fact, but the article showed little interest on the part of your paper in 1) digging deeply enough to uncover the full story, or 2) presenting both sides of the issue completely or fairly.

Certainly, for us, once we read every word of the supporting material from Ms. Homola’s personnel files on your Web site, we are far from convinced that she received a fair hearing, either from your paper, or from her superiors. It is not unlikely that Ms. Homola was a conscientious employee — perhaps overly so for the culture of the county government, and that she may have run afoul of an informal system that favors some members of the public over others.

It is difficult for us to avoid the suspicion that this attack on Ms. Homola was not politically motivated, coming so close to the election. Certainly it was neither prudent nor fair journalism to present a case against Ms. Homola that was substantiated solely by her opponents in a political contest.

We believe you owe both Ms. Homola and your readers an apology for damage done to her reputation and to your own credibility with your reading public.

Roger Harrison and Margaret Harris

Freeland