The people have spoken. It’s time to reconcile and resolve. Rumford Town Manager Steve Eldridge can accomplish this by moving to Rumford. We will welcome him.

If Eldridge should refuse, selectmen should do what the charter requires and what they’ve been asked: declare a forfeiture and vacate the position. Eldridge’s statement, “I have nothing to worry about, I have a three-year contract,” is his lawyer talking, positioning to possibly bring a lawsuit against the town.

The majority of selectmen have not had their fingers on Rumford’s pulse. Instead of respecting our charter, they violated it by giving Eldridge his first contract, and violated it again by giving him another contract amid litigation challenging the first. The majority of the selectmen let our town down by doing so.

And what do the “small group of people who challenge the charter” get after their victory? The board chairman calling us “stupid.” Such statements are grounds for his resignation. He does not reflect the people’s will, and should not be Rumford’s spokesperson.

If there is negativity “statewide,” it’s from those kinds of comments. Headlines from Rumford should be townspeople stood up for the law, and rule of law reigns.

The message to Eldridge and the board is that the lawsuit, and the problem, can go away if Eldridge joins us as a resident, or his contract is voided. If he chooses to sue the town, that shows his true mettle.

We’ll deal with it per the rule of law.

Thomas S. Carey, Rumford