LOCAL ACCESS VIDEO: Common Sense 10.23.09 broadcast

NOTE: Bethel First Selectman Robert Burke opted to not attend the News-Times editorial board candidate forum. You can read his statement below:

Bethel First Selectmen, Bob Burke, declines an invitation to the News Times Candidate Forum.

Citing the News Times’ documented campaign of personal and political bias against his administration and candidacy, Mr. Burke has declined an invitation to participate in the News Times’ First Selectmen candidate forum. “I will not participate in a candidate forum being conducted by any organization, including the News Times, that has exhibited a clear and documented history of biased reporting and editorial character assassination against me. Their campaign to defame my integrity and discredit my public record disqualifies them from conducting an unbiased candidate forum and does not deserve my attendance ”, said Mr. Burke. “The people of Bethel know what I’ve done over the last 4 years in office and evidenced by my landslide victories in the last two elections, they do not hold the News Times endorsements in a credible light”, added Mr. Burke.

To reinforce his reason for not attending, Mr. Burke lists a number of recent examples:

• Despite repeated documented requests to delete slanderous blog postings, the News Times failed to monitor their sponsored blogs which enabled the posting of hundreds of slanderous and disgusting comments that has caused irreparable and permanent damage to Mr. Burke’s public & personal integrity. Their negligence in allowing systematic personal attacks against his character on their websites is unconscionable and litigious.



• The News Times has repeatedly delayed the publication of Burke support letters and openly favored the placement of opponent’s letters in higher circulation Sunday editions.



• The News Times has repeatedly misrepresented Mr. Burke’s comments in their articles.



• The News Times has never endorsed Bob Burke for First Selectmen and in fact, it is clearly evident that the candidate forum is just a formality in order to justify their planned endorsement of my democrat opponent, Mr. Matt Knickerbocker.



• The News Times has ignored Mr. Burke’s and his staff’s repeated requests to use specific submitted photos to accompany campaign articles and instead has resorted to publishing their own photos in a subliminal campaign to portray him poorly.

“As far as I’m concerned, The News Times is a shameful, despicable shell of its former self that isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on, and it’s editorial staff should be ashamed of itself”, Mr. Burke reiterated.

You can read the response from News-Times editor Art Cummings by clicking here.

NOTE 2: From what I can tell, the audio during certain portions of the show were edited. This was not my doing...what's presented is how the show was broadcast on Friday evening.

NOTE 3: You can watch First Selectman Burke on a special edition of Common Sense this Wednesday at 8PM on Comcast channel 23.