Congratulations to the staff of the Borrego Sun and contributor Nikki Symington on an important milestone:

A lawsuit filed by the Borrego Community Health Foundation alleging fraudulent activities and criminal conspiracies within the organization these many years. It is a confirmation of the major story the Borrego Sun has been writing about the past eight years.

Even this lawsuit contains an incomplete list of activities and perpetrators, according to the Sun. Undoubtedly, more reporting will come and out others who have harmed the community and betrayed the public trust.

Yes, those harmed did include some innocent employees who lost their jobs from downsizing along the way. Yet, if persons at the highest levels of management and oversight had acted lawfully, ethically and transparently according to principles of sound management, even that could have been prevented.

What makes the Sun’s accomplishment – eight years of persistence – even more striking is the size of its staff. National newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, New York Times and Wall Street Journal have the resources to devote reporters to investigative projects for long periods of time.

Take a look at the Sun’s credits on its editorial page: Publisher Patrick Meehan, Editor Jolene McGowan (Nacapuy), Art Critic Sally Walsh, Contributors Ernie Cowan, Jim Fishman, Dennis Mammana, Nikki Symington and Julian Contributor Kim Simas. Each has contributed to making this remarkable community service possible.

I encourage you to nominate this effort for consideration of a Pulitzer Prize.

Borrego is a special place. It has a newspaper that is that as well: special.

Don Sevrens

– San Diego, California