TO THE EDITOR:

On August 1st, this newspaper allowed three local Republican legislators to launch a coordinated political attack on a Democratic Governor from its own editorial page without any effort to solicit opposing opinions. The attack involved the Governor’s mask mandate. The mask mandate was issued during a worsening pandemic and has broad support in the state. Dozens of other states have similar mandates. Wearing masks in the middle of a respiratory pandemic should not be a political issue but, sadly, some are making it one.   

As a citizen of this area since 1992, I know there is more than one political viewpoint among residents who read the Patriot. I hope this newspaper reconsiders its policy of offering free editorial space to a single party to promote a single agenda. It would have been a simple matter for the Patriot to contact the Governor’s office to at least try to offer balanced reporting. Judging by the reactions of my friends and neighbors, the readership of this newspaper will decline over time if this persists.

Ron Thiessen

Clear Lake, MN

 EDITOR’S NOTE: The Patriot allows unsolicited letters from seated politicians as well as letters from the public - as of this week, there have been no opposing opinions. The Patriot does not solicit opinions, not do they contact political representatives, senators or governors.