Letters

Democratic candidate in the Southampton Town Board special election John Leonard recently found himself within the pages of The Press [“Democratic Candidate Acknowledges Past Law License Suspensions,” 27east.com, January 24]. The story centered on his personal issues, which trickled into his professional life, well over a decade ago.

I’ve known and worked with Mr. Leonard for quite some time now, on a professional level. He’s been nothing but courteous, diligent and timely in all of our many interactions. His accounting makes sense and is agreeable, his stewardship of my sensitive materials is up to snuff — I really don’t have anything to complain about.

Moreover, I’ve found Mr. Leonard to be a listener. He’s been patient and diligent in the issues I’ve brought to him, some of the issues being incredibly niche and nuanced, which required a light hand and some deep thought.

I’ve read about Mr. Leonard’s previous transgressions; he and I talked about them as well. I’ve seen no sign of that in my entire relationship with him. I was surprised to learn of it, actually. John has been nothing but a straight shooter as long as I have known him.

Regardless, “let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” We all make mistakes when we are young. I’ve made my fair share, that’s for sure. Humans are flawed beings. The real crime is not learning from them.

I believe Mr. Leonard has both learned and grown, in my experiences with him.

Taobi Silva

Southampton