Dear Mr. Batt,

As President of Save Audubon Park, it has come to my attention that you have some issues with the website forum SaveAudubonPark.org, and went so far as to ask Jim Segreto for the names of the writers.

Mr Batt, there are many, many people who write for, and send in contributions to, the SaveAudubonPark.org website. It is not just one or two people. In addition, there are a number of people who review the site content for accuracy and to make sure the rhetoric is kept to a minimum.

However, if there are specific items or articles to which you refer when you express your displeasure at the website content, we would be very interested in hearing what they may be, as "offending the public" has certainly never been our intention, nor is it in our best interest. In fact, we continue to receive compliments on the site from around the country, people continue to sign up for our mailing list and sign the original petition, and I continue to be proud of being a contributor to this website.

You may be unaware of the history of this organization, which began in August 2001 as a website designed simply to publicize the details of the ANI's golf course plans-- which had been deliberately hidden from the general public-- and to act as a forum for those disenfranchised to express their views and opinions. We knew very little about Ron Forman or the ANI up to this point; having never before been engaged in either dispute or discourse with them, we were naive, and assumed that when they recognized the sheer volume of opposition to their plans, they would relent and make significant modifications to mollify the public. We were wrong, of course, hence the evolution of Save Audubon Park into a non-profit organization, whose primary goals remain to make the AC/ANI more accountable, and to mitigate their damage to Audubon Park.

You may also be unaware of the astonishing level of hostility towards Ron Forman and the ANI that exists in this community. Despite what you may think about the general tone of our website, I assure you it pales in comparison to some of the comments we received via our on-line petition, a sampling of which were compiled into the "Mailbag" page on the website. While this anger was as much of a revelation to us as it may be to you, these views are legitimate and should not be ignored or discounted.

Your personal admiration for Ron Forman's achievements is commendable, and deserved. However, Ron Forman has come to represent, not only everything that is right with the AC/ANI, but everything that is wrong with it as well. We are certainly not the first group of people to call him to task for his actions, we are merely the latest, and possibly the most public.

Despite all the claims from Ron Forman and the AC/ANI of "misinformation" on the Save Audubon Park website, they have never once contacted us with any corrections, nor have they even once been able to cite an item that was incorrect. We have always welcomed comments, complaints and suggestions from EVERY member of the public, whether they be City Council members, Audubon Commission members, or Ron Forman himself, and we continue to do so. The very fact that complaints about the website are directed at you and not at us should tell you something of both their intention and their source.

We look forward to hearing from you regarding suggestions for the site.

Thank You,

Debra Howell