Takes one to know one

Why bust Susan Grisanti’s balls in your column about 29 Atlantic Street [That’s My Dump!, March 2014]? Would you prefer to see a derelict and dangerous building there or a refurbished home contributing to the city’s tax coffers? You think a firetrap contributes to the Hill’s ambiance? Why demonize her just because she won’t return your calls, has “the same precocious smile frozen on her face,” and because “you never see pictures of [portable toilets] in [Grisanti’s] home-improvement magazine”?

Perhaps you’re jealous that she’s a successful publisher and you struggle to pay your rent? Stop being a douche.

Ronald Dearth
Falmouth

The dumpiest of times

To paraphrase Mr. Dickens, the March 2014 issue of The Bollard was truly “the best of times and the worst of times.” On one hand, we were treated to Doug Bruns’ conversations with people who have endured years of homelessness and now have a roof over their heads and a safe and secure place to live, thanks to the efforts of Preble Street and other social-service providers [“Sweet Home”]. These are people seldom heard from in contemporary America, and Bruns’ brilliant work of photojournalism, in offering them a chance to share their stories, should remind us of the power of compassion to transform lives.

Unfortunately, that same issue brought us a diatribe of personal invective in the That’s My Dump! column that hardly qualifies as journalism and certainly does not merit space in The Bollard. It was mean-spirited, ignorant of the facts, and tainted with an air of smugness and condescension beneath the consideration of any serious reporter. In the past, That’s My Dump! has filled an important role by bringing attention to the malfeasance of neglectful landlords. The one in the March Bollard gave us the irrelevant history of a property on Munjoy Hill that had fallen into disrepair, and then attacked the buyer who had “swooped in” to purchase the property. The reporter then suggested that the buyer’s role as editor of Maine magazine somehow qualifies her as the poster child for the evils of gentrification. The piece is rambling, incoherent and devoid of journalistic integrity.

TheBollard occupies a unique place in Portland’s print journalism landscape, and the power of a piece like the work of Doug Bruns reaffirms the potential significance of that role. It’s unfortunate that the sophomoric and embarrassing attempt at journalism in the recent That’s My Dump! was allowed space in the same issue of the paper.

Bill Lundgren
Portland

Speaking of sophomoric…

I felt a rebuttal was in order for the recent review of JP’s Bistro [Dining Local, March 2014]. In full disclosure, I am not affiliated with the restaurant or with any of its employees, nor am I a supplier or a competitor to the restaurant. I am simply a patron who has eaten there multiple times. I have never had a bad, or even what I would call a “marginal,” meal there. I feel they use only the freshest ingredients, and use them well. The dishes are creative and make the most use of subtle flavors that blend to make delicious meals.

Ms. McCain’s decision to compare their ingredients to generic MacFood was sophomoric at best, and demonstrated what appears to be a probable lack of experience with quality dining. I understand that budget constraints probably prevent your reviewers from multiple visits to an establishment. I’m not sure that a second visit would convert the reviewer’s opinion of JP’s, but the whole review came across sounding like a frustrated English major trying to be edgy. Plus, the childish sarcasm within the review was completely uncalled for. I know your publication can do better.

Bill Barker
Westbrook