[RP TownTalk] To Set The Record Straight

[Rob Oppenheim]

Thank you Ann for clarifying the Criers history.

Over the years, there have been many excellent independent
newsletters produced in Riverdale Park, and, as Ann points out,
the Town Crier was always produced exclusively by the town.

I think that Jack Jones is recalling how some individuals who 
worked on the independent newsletters, succeeded in having a
dramatic effect on the elections, and then went on to work on the
Town Crier. If you track the Crier's origins back thru people,
you can see many Crier roots, including some in the independent
newsletters. I first worked on the Crier in the late 1980's,
although I did not work on any of the independent newsletters.

There has been and can be more room in the Crier for multiple
points of view. It is an important part of an editor's job to
seek out opposing viewpoints and present all sides. To this 
end, I pulled together the first ever Candidate Forum (May 2005, 
page 5); started the ComTalk feedback email list, asked for reader
feedback and strongly encouraged people to write Letters to the Editor, 
and recently sought out a Pro/Con debate on speed humps (Nov 2005,
page 4). You can see these Crier issues at www.rptc.us

I encourage anyone interested in becoming the next Crier Editor
to let his or her interest be known. It is a great way to contribute 
to our community and to learn and grow as a person. Some of my 
growth was thru painful mistakes - but isn't that the way for so much 
of life?

-Rob Oppenheim