Gray's obfuscation a disservice to Milton and the media

Tom Gray ... Milton selectman chair

The Lebanon Voice was forced on Friday to file a Right to Know request with the Town of Milton for information regarding the Lockhart landfill closure, information that we had sought for more than two weeks, and the same information that was supplied to another newspaper voluntarily by Milton Selectmen Chair Tom Gray earlier this week.

Lockhart Field has come under increased scrutiny since former Nute softball players complained on social media last month about nervous system disorders they feel may have been brought on due to playing at Lockhart Field, which was built on top of an unlined landfill back in the late 1970s. The Lebanon Voice had sought the information regarding another possible story in its series "The Locking up of Lockhart."

The names of at least one of those alleged victims was verified to The Lebanon Voice by a third party, but we did not release her name due to privacy concerns. However, The Lebanon Voice also learned that the woman has consulted a lawyer regarding the situation and her worsening health. She said she was at the field every day during her tenure with the team and fears possible toxins from the landfill could be the culprit in her health issues.

Meanwhile, Gray a couple of weeks ago made a motion to padlock the field, only explaining to the town that the field "had become a hot topic."

A couple of days later we saw that the gate was padlocked and the Lockhart Field sign had been removed from near its entrance on White Mountain Highway.

Whether Lockhart Field is or was a health risk is something to be decided by the experts, but for a selectman to move to close a town property because "it's a hot topic" with absolutely no discussion is really quite remarkable.

Are we to believe that one selectman saying he wants to close a town park because "it's a hot topic" and the other two selectmen seconding and passing the motion is plausible? With no discussion?

When Milton selectmen approved taking down the Townhouse Road bridge that connects to West Lebanon in 2012, did selectmen just say "it's a hot topic, so let's take it down?"

Of course not. It was taken down because a bridge expert from Maine DOT said there were structural deficiencies that posed a threat to the public and liability to Milton.

But what's even more disturbing is Gray's denial of access to The Lebanon Voice, while admittedly delivering documents regarding Lockhart field to another paper's reporter at the Milton Dunkin Donuts.

Four days later with all those documents the reporter was able to produce what's called in the business "a puff piece" on solar power in Milton and facts known by anyone in town who follows such issues for a long, long time.

Then in a brief reference on the Lockhart Field landfill at the end of the story, the reporter mentions Gray's hope to put a solar garden there and that the landfill had been closed as a park due to "safety concerns."

What "safety concerns?" we would ask. Maybe a land shark?

By the way, that mention of "safety concerns" should have been a red flag to the editor. It's called "begging the question." In other words, what's the safety concern?

So now we have Gray telling the town it's "a hot topic" and Foster's it's a "safety concern."

At the very least, it's poor governance, poor communication with your constituents and poor journalism.

We would urge Gray to be more straightforward with the people of Milton and all members of the press.

- HT