First things first (March 21, 2017)
If you are going to accuse someone else of lying, as John Pedigo just did, you yourself should have your facts right (“Lies and lying,” Daily Press, March 21, 2017). As it turns out, Pedigo is in no position to correct anyone.
For example, Liberty Utilities does not charge for hook-ups. This is indisputable. He then shifts his argument to say that even though Liberty doesn’t charge for hook-ups, customers still pay for hook-ups because new hookups don’t earn interest on their $75 deposit. Even if this were true, at current passbook savings rates of around 0.01%, that works out to less than fifty cents before the deposit is returned, compared to the thousands charged by municipal water providers. For this, he calls someone else a liar?
He then references Steve Hunt’s water bill comparison as more evidence of lies on the part of the person he’s attacking. I hope he read my “Missing information” letter in the March 20 Daily Press that adds context, and shows the bills are actually comparable once you take into account all the hidden factors — including the interest he seems so worried about.
Then, he cites a whopping lie from the Town staff — which has been picked up and carried far and wide by their supporters — and implies that it’s the truth, despite it having been utterly, completely, definitively, and totally discredited multiple times, including in one of the items he himself cites!
In the past, Pedigo has denied saying things he said, claimed I said things I did not say, and refused to correct misstatements even after being presented with the facts in black and white. This all just goes to show that happens when you let emotion and ego control your thinking.
— Greg Raven is Co-Chair of Apple Valley Citizens for Government Accountability, and is concerned about quality of life issues.