Letter from M. Stanley Bugge
Free Speech Means Real Accountability
In Otsego County, the First Amendment isn’t abstract—it’s practical. It’s what lets us shape our own communities and keeps us moving forward.
Free speech doesn’t exist to protect easy agreement. It protects the parent questioning curriculum changes, the citizen asking hard questions about city spending, and the neighbor pointing out local mismanagement. If speech only survives when everyone nods along, it’s not free.
A free press serves the same role. Local publications—from AllOtsego to community newsletters—are watchdogs. When they report on zoning, budgets or public safety issues, they are defending our right to know. Attempts to intimidate, dismiss or marginalize them weaken oversight and erode public trust.
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