I’m writing concerning the editorial printed Dec. 4 about the election of Janet Mills as Maine’s attorney general.

While the editorial viewpoint is certainly the editorial writer’s prerogative, I have another opinion of Mills as the state’s attorney general.

I hope that attorney Mills has changed her manner of dealing with citizens during the past 22 years. Back in 1986, during a strike at the Rumford paper mill (then Boise Cascade), I was a salaried employee during the strike. After a 12-hour shift, I had left the mill heading toward Route 108 and had to stop for traffic. A person unknown to me (apparently someone on strike) walked over to my pickup, kicked it solidly with his foot and then left the scene.

I had been advised by mill management that if anything like that happened to immediately drive to the Rumford Police Department and report the incident. I proceeded directly to the police department. While at the police department, I was introduced to Mills who, at the time, was the district attorney for Oxford County.

I hope people can imagine my shock when, after explaining the incident to her, the response I got from her was “Well, the strikers have rights …” I asked her what about my rights to not have my truck damaged on a public road, and my rights to go to work without being in fear for my personal safety.

Unfortunately, she had no response for those questions.

I hope that, in her new position, she has a more balanced manner of looking at justice and prosecuting those guilty of crimes. In my view, past behavior reveals a lot about a person’s character.

Needless to say, that experience with Mills left me with a very poor opinion of her.

Ernest E. Von Tobel, Lewiston