Judge work, not record

I read the article in the Rutland Herald about Eric Blaisdell and conclude that the issue is not one of great concern to anybody.

If The Times Argus likes him and wants him on their staff then so be it, period. I worked at SRS in Vermont for 20 years and did hundreds of investigations of child abuse and sexual abuse. One of the things that really annoyed me was the “clinical expert,” holier-than-thou attitudes of some of the mental health therapists who treat and evaluate juveniles and adults (including sex offenders).

These Monday morning quarterbacks had endless criticism of SRS but never had any real resources to assist us. It was our problem, not their problem. I had to find my own placements for kids and programs for adults. It was the people who really cared about my clients and wanted to help them that made a difference in the end. Nothing is perfect. I measured success by the final end result. If the juvenile or adult completed the program successfully and stayed out of trouble, then it was a success story. So, if Mr. Blaisdell does his job well, completes his program and stays out of trouble, it too is a success story, period.

Tom King

Shaftsbury