Sounds to me like The Independent Weekly is irked that its favorite candidate for UL president, David Manuel, did not make the finals ("Commentary: The Trust Factor," Nov. 14). And I resent the implication that the candidates that the committee chose are not qualified. You imply that something is being pushed through. The search process has been going on for a good amount of time, and the fact that you predict that E. Joseph Savoie will be chosen is due to the fact that he is a very qualified candidate. I am sure you read his very impressive resume.
The only lack of trust I have seen comes from a few disgruntled people whose favorite candidates have not made the finals of the selection. The editorial pointed out the pros and the cons of open and closed selection processes, and I am sure that there would be criticism no matter which way was utilized.
You state that too few community leaders are speaking up about the questionable process. That's because they probably do not have concerns that you do. Most people that I know in the community ' and I do know lots of people here ' are satisfied and believe that the best person shall be chosen.
I must say that there will always be people who are not satisfied when things do not go their way, and it looks like you're not satisfied. But it is unfair to say that the candidates are not qualified. The candidate that I know the best is so over-qualified, so competent and so good at what he does. The majority of the leadership in Lafayette feels the same way. And 90 percent of USL alumni feel the same way that I do. (There's always that 10 percent who complain.)