Dear Editor,

In last weekend’s edition of The Daily News, there was a letter to the editor personally attacking me by a writer, who obviously does not know the difference between free speech and slander.

I have written proof that the same person who was ejected from the meeting on May 21, 2019, was also ejected from a Bogalusa City Council meeting on Feb. 17, 2003 (check the Daily News’ archives), by then-council president McClurie Sampson. But I don’t recall any outcry by this letter writer to have the late McClurie Sampson removed from office, which is what led me to believe the attack was personal.

Any time a person chooses the city council to attack another person, the results will be the same as long as I’m the city council president. They may have gotten by with it in the past, but not under my watch.

Having been slandered during the meeting on Tuesday and again in the paper four days later, is a prime example of why some people choose not to serve on public bodies. So if you feel like I do, when you see Angelo Pepe, stop and tell him how you feel about his rants.

As for The Daily News, I beg you — please stop printing letters to the editor that aren’t worth lining a birdcage with. Stop giving disgruntled people a format to reach the public — or the educated public will get tired of all the negativity, and the un-educated public doesn’t read the newspaper.

To the general public, I’d like to invite you to attend the city council meetings. They are held on the first and third Tuesday of every month at 5:30 p.m. You may wish to speak during public participation, in which case you should arrive a little early and sign the log sheet to speak.

Sincerely,

Teddy Drummond

Bogalusa City Council president and council member at-large