Letter to the Editor: Intimidation at the Pike Commissioners meetings

To the Editor:

For a year, now we’ve experience the presence of a County Sheriff armed guard at our open to the public Pike Commissioners meetings. The County Solicitor tells the public where to stand and dictates what they say or have said. His tone seems as if it is very much an attempt to intimidate or influence the public.

The county commissioners rarely look at the public during their Sunshine Act allowed times to comment. It appears our three commissioners use public comment time to read papers, talk to each other or the County Solicitor, or close and rub their eyes. The Sunshine Act addresses videotaping commissioners sessions, yet, public comment seems to cut off at times.

In summation, Pike County Commissioners meetings have an armed presence with the appearance that the County Solicitor views himself as our fourth or lead commissioner, and our meetings videotape may not represent all that truly occurred. One could say our Pike County Commissioners meetings may be a threat to themselves or others - that is, based on the literal interpretation of watching live or on video our commissioners meetings in Pike County. Yet the public may be wrong - especially if analyzed by the Pike County Solicitor backed up by the County Sheriff Office.

Kevin Holian

Dingman Township