The fact that the former superintendent and medical director of the Soldier’s Home in Holyoke got off with mere $90 fines is not merely “disgusting,” as the woman who lost her father to COVID told the Gazette, but also a major statewide scandal that reeks of old-boy political cronyism. I mean, 76 people died there!

The total fines of $180 amount to just over $2.36 per victim. That is no meaningful punishment or deterrence. Might I suggest that your reporters pose many more pressing questions to the assistant attorney general who was the chief prosecutor in this matter, but also the attorney general herself, the governor, and the state’s U.S. senators. And what of the physicians, nurses, and staffers, unionized or not? There are, and should be, many more follow-ups to this story.

Don Michak

Northampton