Style's satire denigrates county and its employees

Dear Editor,

Re: the controversy over Style Weekly [Oct. 10], I usually enjoy their political satires. While generally simplistic and poorly thought out, these satires typically focus on our elected or highly appointed officials. These public figures are accustomed to quasi "Daily Show" humor (albeit not nearly as funny as "The Daily Show") spewed from writers whose sole purpose it is to entertain.

However, the "Pledge This" article [in Style Weekly] was not funny. First, attacking the rank and file employees of Chesterfield County is unwarranted. The myopic comment of "big-haired Chesterfield women who walk the hallways wearing thick pantyhose" is meant to paint Chesterfield as a backwoods locality stuck in the past. In fact, Chesterfield as a whole is wealthier and more educated than our neighboring localities. On a personal level, I have worked closely with many county employees. From the top down, Chesterfield County employees are good, hardworking people undeserving of such ridicule.

Second, the comment about Deputy County Administrator Pete Stith is quite disturbing. Pete Stith has proudly served Chesterfield County for many years. He is one of the bestknown and well-liked members of the community. Implying that Mr. Stith is assigned to handle difficult tasks with the media based on his race is "disingenuous" in its own right. Pete Stith is oftentimes called on to handle difficult issues because he is the most qualified person to do the job. Pete's good-natured personality, sense of humor and intelligence make him a perfect fit in many situations to handle challenging assignments. I am surprised that Style Weekly, a self-proclaimed progressive paper, would resort to such antiquated ideas of race and employment.

Finally, the overall tone of the piece is meant to paint Chesterfield County in a bad light. The fact is Chesterfield is thriving. While there are many problems to fix, the integrity and diligence of the people working for the county remains steadfast and unwavering. In the future, a little more research and investigation and less innuendo and speculation would be appreciated.

Sam Kaufman

Chairman, Chesterfield County Chamber of Commerce