Dear editor:

Wow! When developer Rainer Hummel goes off on someone, he really goes off.

I refer, of course, to his letter criticizing The Lake Report’s longtime columnist Brian Marshall, (“Developer disagrees with columnist’s viewpoints,” Sept. 28).

The tone of Mr. Hummel’s letter might be described as one part ticked-off, pistol-packing, rootin’-tootin’ Yosemite Sam, mixed with an enraged Donald Duck, and served with a generous helping of Judge Judy on a bad day.

So what did Mr. Marshall do to invoke Mr. Hummel’s wrath?

It seems he made it known he disliked the developer’s proposed design and scope for a hotel Mr. Hummel wishes to build on the property in the heritage district known as the Phillips Estate.

Does Mr. Marshall not understand that when a developer wants something, he should drop to one knee and say: “Yes, my liege,” thus confirming the developer’s “opinion” that, while he is a rich feudal superior, Mr. Marshall is naught but the equivalent of a poor vassal with little sway or means?

At the same time, all we have learned from Mr. Hummel is that he can count to four (storeys) and knows what he wants.

This reminds me of when brilliant comedian Woody Allen decided to throw convention to the winds (and most of his reputation) and marry his step-daughter Soon-Yi Previn.

He defended his rather strange (and notably weird actions) by saying: “The heart wants what the heart wants.”

Closer to home, Mr. Marshall needs to understand that: “The Hummel wants what the Hummel wants.”

In fact, your esteemed columnist, who has amply demonstrated he has a superior knowledge and appreciation for our town’s architecture, needs to be heard.

Whether he gained his knowledge through self-study and research rather than formal training, matters not.

I find him exceptionally well-versed in whatever he writes and he certainly doesn’t need a diploma to see when a four-storey, squared-off glass and concrete building in the heritage district fails to serve anything other than Mr. Hummel’s profit margins.

So, what does Mr. Marshall get for his part in trying to preserve the integrity and character of our beautful, historical town? Mr. Hummel tries to destroy his reputation and his credibility. Mr. Marshall deserves better.

To Mr. Marshall: Write on, sir, we love your work.

J. Richard Wright
NOTL