To the Editor
Three weeks ago, Alderman Michael Porter made some very disparaging remarks about Manchester teachers on a public Facebook group Manchester (NH) School Chat. I confronted him as I thought it very inappropriate for a public official to be offering unedited opinions in a public venue. He was quite dismissive of my feedback, insisting he had every right to express any opinion he chose. At the time, I wrote the following:
“Mr. Porter, you are no longer “Joe Citizen.” You are a leader in the community. You no longer have the luxury of indulging your every whim of spouting every thought that enters your brain, every opinion that crosses your tongue and every twisted slant expressed by a constituent in a public forum. You have a position of power and people listen to what you say. You need to give thought to the impact of your words on all stakeholders. No teacher is granted the privilege of getting on social media and issuing derogatory remarks about school board members, aldermen, school leadership, etc. without consequence. The converse should be equally true … you need to evaluate your words carefully … I would strongly urge you rather than deflecting my feedback to give careful thought to your role as a leader in the city of Manchester on what kind of impact you want to make on the city. Are you going to be a positive force that will enhance the growth of Manchester or will you be a malignant naysayer who will further sandbag the efforts of people of goodwill in Manchester who bring the city to a higher level of greatness?”
I believe Mr. Porter, in his most recent public post, has revealed his choice.
Regards,
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