BY ADAM ATKINSONNorth Country This Week

POTSDAM -- The Potsdam Town Supervisor leveled withering criticism at a town board member over her comments regarding the assassination of former President Donald Trump in a letter released today (Aug. 1).

Supervisor Marty Miller said statements made on Facebook on July 13 by town board member Christine Paige where she compared the assassination attempt to "putting down a rabid dog," were not "in any way" shared thoughts of the town board at large.

"The Board does not agree with the statement and denounces the comments made. This act of freedom of speech, as the Board member claims it to be, may have satisfied their own needs; the consequences have been severe to the integrity of this Board and the Community of Potsdam as a whole," Miller said in the statement.

"I can tell you firsthand that this selfish act of one person's satisfaction has been a nightmare for me and the rest of the Board the last couple of weeks. Even the staff at the Town Hall has had to put up with phone calls, voicemails, and emails, taking us all away from our daily duties as representatives of the Town of Potsdam," the supervisor said.

He went on to say however that the statement issued as a letter to all, was the extent of the action that the town board could take on the matter legally.

"The law prohibits the Board from ousting someone," Miller said.

Miller said that as an elected official he serves to represent all of the people of the community. Elected officials need to set higher standards for behavior and speech to the public, he said.

"I hope the Potsdam Community and people who responded to the statement or did not respond, do not hold this against this Board. I know this will take time, and I hope time mends some of the damage that has been done," Miller said.

The full letter can be read on North Country Now under the Letters section here.

The original Facebook conversation where Paige made the statements was taken down at some point after the initial post. However, a screenshot capture of the exchange can be read online here.

Blowback over the incident reached the county level as well and Legislator Glenn J. Webster, District 11, told North Country This Week in an earlier conversation that he planned to introduce some form of resolution at an upcoming meeting that would decry Paige's statements.

In a separate interview with this newspaper, Paige said her right to free speech under the First Amendment included her statements on Facebook regarding the former president, and she did not apologize or attempt to walk back the comments.

She said had not paid much attention to the outcry over her comments, calling her critics' reactions "foolishness."