Hi, Steve.

I appreciate the question. My membership on pilcheskydeceit is still pending, so please feel free to copy my response.

I am not a casual visitor to DohertyDeceit. It is the only widely-read political board in the region, for better or for worse, and I read it fervently. My original purpose for visiting the site was to challenge the pro-DiBileo posters to defend their candidate, who, I felt, had not offered any platform for mayor and had actually squandered his opportunity to become mayor. My views are well-stated in the archives concerning the 2005 mayoral race and the 2006 state representative race. But if you look closely, I discourage anything libelous or character-driven, and feel that someones private life, if lawful, is off-limits. I was against the outing of the McTiernan affair, the exposure of Judy Gatellis personal life, and the sexual references, which I found demeaning and out of place. It is all there. The only individual against whom I have made a personal remark is Bob Cordaro, who, I believe, has become one of the most corrupt politicians in the history of the county. Regardless of how one feels about the Yankees, the courthouse renovations, or the righting of the county ship, I have seen first-hand that cronyism and sweetheart deals have never been more prevalent than over the past four years.

I support any message board involved in shining light on the areas political activities, but I do not shy away from letting the posters (and Joe himself) know when I disagree with them or how they go about relaying their information. I have informed them many times that some of their activities (or encouragement of said activities) edge very close to overstepping legal boundaries. Sometimes, they actually do, in my opinion. That said, they are adults and should be treated as such, even when I (or you, or anyone else) do not agree with them. If their opinions are not actionable under the law, they have the right to make them, and we have the option of replying to them.

Do I support the DD board? Not financially, and I do not encourage others to post, read, or avoid the site. However, I post under my own name, offer my own opinions, do not delve into the personal lives of others as I would not appreciate it done to me, and try to play devils advocate when necessary. For this I cannot, and will not, apologize. Joe Pilchesky and I have disagreed vehemently on many issues, yet he continues to allow me to post. You would have to ask him the criteria he uses for booting people. If I have not been thrown off the board for some of my objections, I cannot imagine what would result in said action concerning someone else.

Your first five concerns are certainly valid, and I am on record at various points on the site objecting to them. But as to the sixth, what is hate speech? If it concerns the first five (or related) topics, then I would have to agree with you. It does encourage hate. However, many people confuse the term hate speech with speech I disagree with. I do not believe it is hate speech to point out when a politician promises one thing and does another solely for their own benefit or without any valid reason. I do not believe it is hate speech to highlight a speaking policy which many feel is patently unfair. I do not believe it is hate speech to point out that a county official is signing contracts and entering into leases which benefit his political supporters more than the taxpayers in general.

The response to DohertyDeceit was named PilcheskyDeceit, which also cannot be regarded as neutral. I suppose it has become too much to ask for a more balanced political board, since political nastiness has been around since the 1700s. But in all fairness, DD has been providing more in-depth coverage of the local political scene, along with some stories that are posted on the site before they make it to the newspaper. One does not have to agree with Joe Pilchesky to admit this. I treat the site as a forum. My opinions are my own, including when I disagree with the opinions of others. I have always badgered Joe into allowing posting of pro- and anti-Doherty comments, in order to provide a more balanced discussion. But in the end, it is his board. He makes the decisions, and admittedly, he has never lied to me as to where he stands.

I do have an issue concerning your request to dissent in a manner befitting the elected official that I desire to be. You gave me an or option, meaning one answer is automatically right and one is wrong, based on your views and feelings. I believe the proper word is and, if I can promote a healthy discussion on the website without pandering to those who wish to destroy rather than discuss. My campaign has been based solely on a two-pronged issue: Has the current county controller been meeting his responsibilities, and if not, is the tax collector a qualified replacement? My answer to both questions is a resounding no, but if you have been following my campaign, you will notice that I have never once brought anyones personal life into the mix. I do not encourage it, and I will never participate in anything even remotely resembling a smear campaign. But, I would like to know where you stand on the county controller race, and more importantly, why. It may be revealing to both of us.

I hope this helps. If you have any further questions, please let me know. Id be happy to answer.

GC