I was disturbed to see the Gazette make an unwarranted connection between Peter Roth, developer, and Peter Roth, chair of the Board of the Boston Preservation Alliance (BPA) when BPA submitted a letter opposing demolition of the Knight Building at 161 S. Huntington Ave. (“One developer under fire puts heat on another,” Oct. 12.) The letter was on BPA letterhead and Roth’s other affiliation with the Blessed Sacrament redevelopment was not relevant to the BPA opposition. For the Gazette to draw a connection and print an article making a connection was wrong.
People in a small city like Boston often wear several hats. Jamaica Plain is fortunate to have a number of professional architects, engineers, planners, developers, etc. who volunteer their time and expertise as individuals or as members of nonprofits and advocacy groups to help the community evaluate and comment on proposals of all kinds. The Gazette, agencies and the public must look at how people identify themselves in letters, on a sign-in sheet, or when speaking at a meeting and associate their remarks with that affiliation only. JP would be worse off if people did not participate in community affairs out of concern that there could be an article in the Gazette about them with an unfair association.
Anne McKinnon
Jamaica Plain