Letters

Comments (0) Tuesday, Oct 1 2002

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Ronald MacKinnon
Manhattan

SORRY, WRONG NUMBER

I would like to correct a statement made about me in "SUNY, Inc." [September 18-24]. In the article, John Giuffo stated that Michael Clemente (a former SUNY official who was terminated from his position) "claimed that SUNY chair Thomas Egan and [I] had urged him to grant [a SUNY construction job] to the neophyte contractor." The only source for this allegation was a footnote in the state inspector general's report on this matter. It said, "Clemente stated that during this period he received a telephone call from Thomas Egan, and possibly a second call from Randy Daniels, both members of SUNY's Board of Trustees, asking him to meet with Copeland [a contracting official] to explain the Fund's procurement process. Both Trustees told [the Office of the State Inspector General] that they did not make such calls." Clemente never stated that anyone urged anyone to grant the contract. In my case, he used the word "possibly," which sets a preposterous standard for justifying negative charges. In addition, both Mr. Egan and I denied making any calls.

Randy Daniels
Manhattan

CORRECTION

In J. Hoberman's "Fling Time in a Quiet Town" [September 18-24], director Tian Zhuangzhuang's name was misspelled and his new film misidentified. The correct title is Springtime in a Small Town.