To the Editor:

Response to Mr. William Rose:

I am aware of who you are Mr. Rose. I too am a veteran. Shame on you for attempting to divide the black vote and our community. Have we not fought long and hard enough to be recognized in this Jim Crow system? Does it not matter that we have acquired mutable degrees and accreditation beyond that of our European-American counterparts? If you actually know your history, the United States of America is comprised of immigrants. Unless you are a Native-American, your ancestors too were immigrants to this country. Thereby making none of us better than the other. Yet we still have to deal with the likes of you and Mayor Raystine Johnson-Ashburn, our first African-American Mayor who has done seemingly little to support all of the citizens of Franklin. Surely she would not be involved in a cowardly write-in campaign that can do nothing more than add to the divisiveness of our community. She did not have the wherewithal to actually put her name on the ballot. Where are the leaders of our day, sir? Did they perish with the likes of Fredrick Douglass and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? Neither of which were cowards.

With your endorsement of Mr. Rabil, what are you promoting exactly? What has Frank Rabil done? Other than his campaign signs advertising his candidacy, what is his platform? I have seen no literature at all. What is his plan for the City of Franklin or is he simply running on his ethnicity and the Rabil name?

Can we not be transparent? With Rabil it appears that we will regress instead of progress. If he actually has a platform and a plan for the city, I look to see him address these issues at the scheduled Town Hall meeting at Franklin High School on April 23rd at 6 p.m.

He has already refused to participate in a debate with Councilman [Greg] McLemore, which has customarily been sponsored by The Tidewater News. Does he plan to tell us anything at all? We deserve to know what he plans to do. Maybe then we will be able to understand your motivation.

For that matter, all elected officials should be present on the 23rd. What does Mona Murphy have to say? How about Linwood Johnson, Bennie Burgess and Barry Cheatham? I am open to hearing everyone out. I seek to be an informed voter, but it’s the job of those who seek office to inform us all.

I am simply responding to the article that was published by The Tidewater News on behalf of Mr. Rose, and I truly don’t expect for this to be printed as I am fully aware that this media outlet does not seek to remain unbiased in its approach to informing the public.

If I don’t see it in the next edition, I will be forced to send it to all neighboring publications and other media outlets.

Michael Smith
Franklin