We have known District Judge Lewis Stoughton for a long time and have had several dealings with him.

We always found him to be very honest and above board.

It seems to us that if the decision in the civil action filed by Dan Koebler of Slippery Rock had gone Koebler's way, nothing would have been said or done regarding Stoughton.

Instead, after being ruled against, Koebler composed and paid for an advertisement that appeared in the Oct. 18 edition of the Butler Eagle. That ad told to whom anyone else with complaints about Stoughton could make formal complaints.

Koebler had filed his civil action against a woman who he claimed owed his business $400.

In our opinion, Stoughton is an asset to the community.