Be honest, now. How many of you grabbed The Free Press this week to catch the latest episode of Richland's soap opera "General Township" (or is that "As the Stomach Turns")? Will Richard respond to Mike Zowniriw's letter to the editor? Well, in true mid-afternoon dramatic style, I will. And I won't. Confused? Put down the bon-bon and pay attention.
First, the cast for this week's show. According to Z, the "sweetest people in Richland Township", his "dearest friends and supporters", are his campaign committee, the Richland Citizens Alliance. He objected to The Free Press allowing my column to "take pot shots at me and my campaign committee". In Mike's script, his RCA friends "prided themselves on keeping out negativity", and want "positive change".
Here's the plot twist: Rather than hear more of what I have to say about them, let's turn things around. Let's hear what the RCA mob has said about me. In their actual words. And what some other media folks have said about them. No negativity? The sweetest? Positive change? You at home decide. Quiet on the set! Roll the tape, you "brightest stars and sweetest people in Richland Township". Take One! Hit me with your best (pot) shot...
Mike Zowniriw 11/20/03 Free Press: "I know for a fact that your Farmers Market is sitting on toxic waste...I'll let it go - until you do something to p*** me off. Ask Pat Keller what happened to the last person who p***** me off."
Lois Stevens in The Free Press 4/10/03: "It also appears that two of our four supervisors (Mr.Woldow) are financially gaining quite handsomely from our builder benefactors. OOPS! Did I really say that!??"
Todd Oxenford email to me 2/22/04: " As for your journalism, your columns seem more like the rantings of someone with late night heartburn. Do us all a favor, take a Tums next time, turn off your computer and go to bed instead!"
Susan Cooke in The Free Press 4/3/03: "After reading his words, things may appear as such, but there is a simple explanation - Mr. Woldow isn't speaking the truth."
Cliff Annis in The Free Press 5/22/03: "He should consider re-naming his column 'The World According to Woldow' or 'The Richland Times - Free Press Edition'."
Jane Steeley in The Morning Call 2/4/92: "I'm just sick of it (Quakertown Farmers Market). I tried to do it quietly. I've tried to be nice. Now I'm going to be nasty."
Mike Zowniriw in The Free Press 6/5/03: "I keep reading about Richland Township's own self-serving, self-proclaimed maven, Richard Woldow, and his dumb idea..."
Patrick Murphy in The Free Press 9/25/03: "Mr. Woldow did not perform any research before constructing his article and has continued the libelous campaign of falsehoods and conjecture crafted by others."
Lois Stevens in The Free Press 8/14/03: "It's simply appalling to witness Richard Woldow doing all this GRANDSTANDING for the Richland Township Supervisors (what are their names anyway)...".
Todd Oxenford email to The Free Press 2/12/04: "Mr. Woldow is up to his old 'truth-distorting' tricks again. He is obviously out of touch with reality here."
Jane Steeley in The Intelligencer 2/26/92: "The Q-Mart is not a good neighbor."
Amy Zowniriw in The Free Press 2/6/01: "After Woldow's questionable motives and callous tactics in evicting Skip's Sales from the Q-Mart this fall, I am loathe to see that he embodies the qualities of a respectable businessman. I see him as a smarmy businessman, putting profit and ego before people and community."
Occasionally the media (besides me) has commented on the RCA:
Intelligencer 1/6/92: "Steeley apparently has been waging a one-woman campaign against the (Quakertown Farmers) market..."
Intelligencer Editorial about Patrick Murphy 11/12/03: "When an individual stands up and purposely tries to disrupt a public meeting, that's wrong. If that's what Murphy did, then he was wrong, and Tamburri was correct in ruling him out of order."
Intelligencer 1/6/04: "...shouting matches, and what had been dubbed "mob rule," had become commonplace between some residents and officials."
Morning Call 12/11/03: "Township meetings have become shouting matches between the sides."
Morning Call 11/13/03: "The decision to table the waiver and the raucous nature of Monday's meeting, in which accusations flew back and forth and the crowd became unruly at times, could be a harbinger of things to come in Richland."
Morning Call Headline, Page B1, 11/6/03: "Zowniriw predicts turbulence".
That's a wrap! You've been a great audience. Thanks for watching. Let's give the last word to Kathleen Doyle, in The Morning Call 9/16/97: "I don't want to hear this crap."