TO THE EDITOR: THE NORTHFIELD NEWS MEMBERS OF VERMONT for Single Payer (VfSP) have taken issue with the appointment by House Speaker Shap Smith of Jim Leddy as a non-voting member of the Health Care Reform Committee and have declared his appointment to be both unethical as well as quite possibly illegal, violating certain aspects of S.88 (Act 128 of 2010).

As I understand it, Jim Leddy merely serves in a volunteer capacity as president of the Vermont chapter of AARP (AARP VT), with only his traveling expenses reimbursed or covered by the Vermont AARP chapter.

Even if they had not intended to do so, those representing VfSP in these matters have wrongly impugned the reputation and integrity as well as the motives of a fine upstanding retired public servant.

Jim Leddy should not be forced to resign from his volunteer position as president of AARP VT and neither should he withdraw or be withdrawn from serving as a non-voting member of the Health Care Reform Committee as appointed by House Speaker Shap Smith.

To those representing VfSP concerning such, the matter seems to be clear cut, but it appears they are being unreasonably rigid.

It seems that they are so focused on the cause that they might be forgetting the most important things their cause is all about: i.e., people and doing our best by them.

MORGAN W. BROWN

Montpelier