To the editor:
We are pleased that the Town of Lee’s suit against the Monsanto Co., Solutia Inc., Pharmacia LLC, and General Electric was deemed worthy of attention by editorialist Peter J. Most. However, his op-ed “Town of Lee is not in a position to be burning bridges” contains several instances of disinformation we would like to correct.
First, Mr. Most’s description of our counsel, Cristobal Bonifaz, as “discredited” is a gratuitous insult to Mr. Bonifaz, who has a long and outstanding reputation in the field of environmental law and other areas. Tellingly, Mr. Most mentions a $45,000 sanction against Mr. Bonifaz as proof of incompetence, but he fails to add that the sanction was later thrown out and Mr. Bonifaz was awarded $150,000 in compensatory damages.
Second, Mr. Most’s op-ed is infused with the lawyerly supposition is that the only good case is one that wins and anything short of that is an embarrassment. He overlooks the basic democratic principal that, as members of the Lee Select Board, we were elected by the people with the mandate to make decisions based on what we think is in the best interests of the town and its residents. Mr. Most is free to seek to burnish his reputation as a crafty lawyer, but we are guided by something far different: the effort to seek what is right, just, and beneficial for our town, regardless of who eventually comes out with the winning hand.
Finally, the Town of Lee values our positive relations with our neighboring towns, and we see nothing in our suit that could constitute the burning of bridges, as Mr. Most claims. His allegation that by filing suit we have removed ourselves from discussions surrounding the proposed remediation is ludicrous. We will continue to reach out to our neighbors and welcome suggestions for working together to resolve this difficult issue in the interests of all area residents. Our door is always open—including to Mr. Most.
Gordon D. Bailey
Chair of Select Board
Lee
Sean Regnier
Clerk of Select Board
Lee
Bob Jones
Member of Select Board
Lee
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