To the editor:
What a sad testament to a town that calls itself a community. Thanks to small town politics and narcissistic egos, Houlton lost one of the best animal control officers it most likely ever had.
CJ Virgie is a true animal advocate. I’ve worked with animal rescues in N.C. and in ME, and continue to network with many across the U.S. and Canada involving multiple dealings with ACOs and I do attest Mrs. Virgie’s professionalism and compassion for a lost/stray/abandoned/neglected animal is on a level above most.
But there are those in the Houlton area who thrive on their delusional self-importance and work to undermine anyone who doesn’t subscribe to or bow to their whims. This has to stop. A person shouldn’t have to choose between working in a hostile environment and their livelihood, health and well-being. Adult people need to act within their appropriate age range, not like a high school bully or pouting drama queen. This standard of idiocy should be unwelcome within any community instead of continually embraced and catered to by those in official positions.
Shame on the lot of you involved in allowing this to not only happen — to drive Mrs. Virgie to make that difficult decision to resign her job because of brow-beating for doing her job — but letting it go on, because, let’s face it, everyone knows it will. The town will find another patsy to do their bidding; because it’s not a matter of doing one’s specified job according to the handbook in Houlton, it’s a matter of doing the job according to someone’s self-serving interest.
The good people of Houlton should be up in arms over losing this terrific ACO, this dedicated woman who did a great job for the needy animals of the community.
Darlene Kenney
Linneus
