Your decision to invite a write-in candidate, one who already lost a preliminary election, to your mayoral forum on Oct. 7 was already an instance of shamefully poor judgment, but it looks worse in light of your Sept. 28 editorial, where you say you did so “in the spirit of inclusion and fairness.” You have a backwards and cynical idea of what inclusion and fairness means.
In the current climate it encourages a representation of voices that are not always heard due to social or economic biases. In the employment world — which is applicable here, since the candidates are essentially asking to be hired for a job — it means seeking candidates from a diverse set of backgrounds, so they may be judged on their merits and the ideas they bring to the table.
Inclusion and fairness has never been about giving extra chances to those who don’t make the cut after the first round of interviews. All three candidates, along with everyone who voted, got their voices heard in the preliminary election.
The fact that you muddy the concept by attaching some idea of pity to one candidate’s failure, thereby amplifying his voice and putting him on a level equal with the winners, is an insult to any spirit of inclusion and fairness.
Neil Serven
Greenfield