We're Sorry You Are You

It's not the front page, above-the-fold apology he sought, but Richard Snowden finally got the mea culpa he demanded from the Chestnut Hill Local. It was in the form of a letter (highlighted in a box) to him, on the opinion page, from the President of the Community Association and the Editor of the Local. Snowden, a real estate "magnate" (through inherited wealth, not due to his own efforts) in tony Chestnut Hill, has had a feud with the local community paper, the Chestnut Hill Local, for several years. See my post Much Ado About Nothing, for background on the story.

As I noted in a follow up piece, Money Doesn't Talk -- It Swears, an Inky article described his requirements: "What Snowden wants is an apology, printed on the newspaper's front page, above the fold, with specific language. He also wants the newspaper to agree not to write about him, his family or his business dealings." See also, Oh, Chestnut Hill.

The Dear Dick letter states:

Last fall, the Chestnut Hill Community Association and Bowman Properties began a dialogue to resolve the long-standing issues between our two organizations. As you know, a great deal of time has gone into determining the source of our differences and how we can move past them. What we think we can agree on, without qualification, is that the resolution of these issues has been at an impasse for too long.

As the president of a board and the editor of a newspaper committed to what is fair and also to what is best for Chestnut Hill, we think it behooves us to acknowledge the various ways that we may have contributed to the misunderstanding, and to express our regret for the occasions where we have unintentionally offended the Snowden family. We hasten to add that we seek no reciprocal response from Bowman Properties. We are doing this because it is the right thing to do and also because it is time for us to move forward.

* * * *

We hope that this sincere apology on behalf of the Local is persuasive in helping to bring these troubling issues to a close. We particularly want to express our regret that any of these short comings outlined above coincided with the life summary of one of Chestnut Hill’s most unique, far sighted and generous supporters, Virginia C. Wilmsen, whom we continue to regard with great admiration and gratitude.

I don't blame the Community Association for finally caving in to his petty demands -- it has adversely impacted the retail community in many ways. As they said, they needed to move on.

I wonder who penned the "sincere apology" -- which "hasten[s] to add that . . . no reciprocal response" is requested or expected. But of course who would ever expect someone like Snowden to apologize for his boorish behavior? I certainly wouldn't. That would take a level of maturity and responsibility that I would never expect of "Lord Snowden," as he's snidely called.

I must say, I still prefer my suggested way of resolving the impasse. As I noted in an earlier post: Put the apology in BIG letters on the front page of the Local:

We're Sorry You're an Ass

I should add that I believe Snowden suffers from what I refer to as BALD* syndrome. Unfortunately, there is no cure for those who have a severe case of the malady. It's not contagious or anything, but sufferers of the disease are nonetheless prone to inflict their illness on others in many ways.

(*BALD = Big Asshole, Little Dick)

Tags: Philadelphia, Philly, Chestnut Hill