To The Editor:

I like to respond to Betsy Litt's August 28, letter of endorsement “Rob Blanchard has integrity?"

First, I’m a person that avoids the limelight or spotlight on myself, I decided to step forward anyway and publicly respond to Ms. Litt’s grossly inaccurate statements. Why? Because I doubt many others will including our Bee to correct the record.

Her statement is simply over the top and just more political hyperbole. In fact, I’ll even go on the record in saying her letter should have never been printed by the Bee!

Why? Because at the time the Bee’s printing Ms. Litt’s letter, the Bee fully knew this to be a fake news story about missed tax payments.

She clearly stated that news reports said Amybeth LaRouche did not pay her vehicle taxes and voted previously in New York.

The bases of all this was a character assassination piece written by Dan Haar from The Hartford Courant the previous Thursday.

By Saturday, his story was debunked with a picture circulating on Facebook showing the tax payment was paid. And later an actual response.

There was also commentary attributed to Rob Blanchard in Haar’s unverified report raising questions about Amybeth LaRouche’s voting in another state. So clearly Dan Haar was working together in some capacity with Rob Blanchard in developing his unverified story directly or indirectly.

But here’s what’s most troubling for me. Days later after knowing this was an unverified story, our Bee still chose to run with Ms. Litt’s letter?

Why did they? Was this just an unfortunate mistake or something more? Should they had pulled Ms.Litt’s letter? I believe they should have because she relied on false reporting.

Only the Bee’s editor knows why her letter made their ”cut” to be printed!

So now for Ms. Litt, do you still believe that Rob Blanchard is a person of honesty and integrity that will work for our towns interests in Hartford?

I do not. I think he has proven he’s just another politician that will get down and dirty and say almost anything to discredit his opponents character. That's why we will have elections … right. But I had to come forward now and hope to correct the record for everyone.

Richard Warek

Sandy Hook

Editor's Note: Setting the record straight, the Dan Haar opinion piece on Amybeth Laroche in question was published by CT Insider on Friday, August 21, not by The Hartford Courant on Thursday, August 20. An editor's note on the piece noted the Newtown Tax Collector's office confirmed on August 26 that Laroche paid her tax bill on August 25. It should be noted letters for last week's The Newtown Bee Letter Hive were due by noon Wednesday, August 26, to go out to print that same day. Given Wednesday is also our deadline day, we ask forgiveness that The Bee staff had not spent any of its time that day on competing news sites looking for corrections. Laroche putting up a response on Facebook is fine, but The Bee's small staff is not perpetually combing through social media feeds. We encourage Laroche and her campaign staff to reach out directly to The Bee with updates like that in the future. Additionally, per The Bee's long-standing letters policy: "...The Bee does not vouch for the accuracy or any of the assertions made in letters to the editor." Lastly, we are happy to report that Laroche, in an opinion piece to The News-Times on August 27, said that the missed payment was an oversight and rectified as soon as she was aware.