To the Editor:

I attended the Maggie Valley aldermen candidate forum and read with interest your coverage of this event. First, I would like to commend the Maggie Valley Chamber of Commerce for sponsoring a well-moderated forum for the community to hear the candidates express their views on the issues. Second, I was very surprised that your article included quotes from Charlie Meadows and Joe Maniscalco as answers to the exact questions asked at the forum since, as you state in the beginning of your article, they did not attend. 

By including their answers along with the candidates that did attend the Forum, you are misleading the public into thinking that they also participated, when in fact they didn’t. This was not fair to the six candidates who made the effort and had the fortitude to attend the forum. 

The people of Maggie Valley deserve to know who is willing to come before them and answer tough questions about their issues and concerns. Your paper needs to report facts and not attempt to manipulate coverage of an event to appear as if all the candidates participated, when, in truth, they did not.

William Banks,

Maggie Valley