Guess what? Not only Bethel and Newry, but Rumford and Black Mountain were featured in The New York Times of last Friday. “…Skiing for skiers” includes a map of this region, and Rumford is on the map. Black Mountain’s Web site and phone number are there, too.

That’s good news for us. Millions of people read The New York Times each day. If current economic development efforts – involving a broad cross-section of our community – continue, more and more good news will come out of Rumford in the coming months and years.

Here in Rumford we’re making news, too; it’s bad news and bad news travels fast.

Back in 1997, when my husband and I settled here in his native Rumford, bad news in the Portland Press Herald characterized the town as a sinkhole of bad smells and worse bars. Concerted efforts over the last decade have drawn a truer picture of Rumford – think Monica Wood’s Rumford feature in Down East magazine.

The brisk pace of progress here has been halted, mired in sniping and suspicion. Instead of applauding the efforts of the Downtown Revitalization Committee – one of many initiatives focused on economic development – the good news gang is busy countering the infighting, slander and naysaying of the bad news crowd. If we can’t or won’t end the ugliness, Rumford, once again, will be the butt of ridicule around the state and beyond.

“It almost goes without saying…” is a phrase from one of the many letters to the editor of the Rumford Falls Times of Nov. 29. “…almost” is key here: almost nothing about today’s vote on the proposed amendment to the town charter has gone without saying.

Not one reader has ever asked me how tall I am, but I’m going to tell you anyway: I am 62 inches tall. That is fewer than half the inches of type devoted to the proposed change in the town charter that will be accepted or rejected at the polls today. How many inches did those letters occupy? One hundred fifty-two inches.

Fervent, earnest, plus, in the main, very, very long, most letters are from the same writers who have been pitching this battle against the town manager every week for weeks and months. Like many people, I do not understand their motives. Eventually, their effort will fall of its own weight, but eventually may not be soon enough. We need to act today at the polls.

Personality is not the point of today’s question. Freedom to engage the best man or woman to run the town and move it forward – at the discretion of and under the supervision of our elected officials – is the issue.

Linda Farr Macgregor and her husband, Jim, live in Rumford. Please contact her at: [email protected]