A Reader Writes In

Blogs can offer a number of advantages, in that they permit ordinary folks to voice their opinions or concerns, the public is no longer dependent on whatever media coverage may be out there and the limited information that reporters may be able to access prior to his or her deadline, and they are relatively instantaneous.  They should promote community interest and involvement, if at all possible.
But I have to indicate that the general tenor, the often cruel depictions of different members of Council and members of the public, some of whom decided to write into your Blog and take as stand now and then or voice an opinion (particularly opinions that may contradict or oppose the Blog's regular authors), and the antics often exhibited by the Blog are somewhat distasteful.
As a result, despite some of your readers' recent letters, far from promoting community interest and involvement in local affairs and issues, the Blog is coming perilously close to resembling a hate propaganda machine, where members of Kearney council or occasional citizens who disagree with the Blog's commentary from time to time are targeted with cruel, vile and remarkably defamatory insults.
Although you appear to have some knowledgeable and quite possibly intelligent regular contributors or authors, it is unfortunate that many of these authors have to resort to cruel, vile, accusatory and defamatory pictorials and commentary. It really does bring the whole purpose of the Blog, which ostensibly may have been to permit citizens to review recent decisions (Council's mainly here) and voice any concerns they may have had, down to a very base, hateful level.
If you want to continue with a Blog, you should reconsider the monster you have created, and do away with the foolish pictures of politicians you are currently displeased with, the horrific and damaging accusations that one or more politicians may have had something to do with a very serious and dangerous recent assault occurrence (apparently involving the former Mayor's son) and the very nasty commentary about those who write into your Blog to express a different point of view.
Kearney should be a quiet, peaceful wilderness community.  Instead since about 2007 it has become an example of the kind of community most would want to avoid in the same way as a Town hit with the "black plague".  Your contributors are just as responsible as any politician who may have stepped over the line in the community, including the past Mayor and the current Mayor, for creating or continuing an atmosphere of hate and distrust at all levels.
As I have indicated, a Blog can be helpful or it can be destructive.  I hope your regular contributors consider this.  The messages they are sending to the young and old alike are very unpleasant at best and quite dangerous at worst.  If you do not rethink your approach, and start emphasizing the good in your community, you are well on your way to complete destruction of the beautiful Kearney wilderness environment.
Just another voice, which I hope and trust, you will let be read.
It is fairly unlikely that you will publish this comment, but if you do, I am requiring that you withhold my email address and preserve my anonymity.

We don't so much ridicule, as provide a display of the ridiculous. That's a real photo of our mayor you've been seeing in various newspapers. Perhaps you should consider writing to him as well.