We thought that freedom of speech was alive and well in this country, but apparently there are some in the Village of Williamsville who object to free speech, unless you agree with them. We thought that our brave men and women in the military fought and died so we could debate issues such as the possible dissolution of the village government, while respecting all points of view and treating each other with respect.

Apparently not. If Kevin Gaughan’s team placed signs on public property, they were torn down within hours. But if opponents of dissolution put signs on public property, they remained there for days, even after the election. When the Eagle House offered to provide Gaughan a venue to present his views, the owners were threatened by government officials and residents alike until they rescinded their offer. I guess the opponents of dissolution were simply afraid that as more people listened to Gaughan, more would flock to his cause.

We love living in the village, but we are not proud of the residents who have so little confidence in their own point of view that they can’t argue their case on its merits. They resorted instead to intimidation, name calling and uneven enforcement of the rules, and they were the real losers on Aug. 17.

Congratulations to the winners. You won, but you did not win fair and square.

Williamsville