“I’ve worked with Peter Stockmann for over two decades. I’ve sat in the back rooms, seen the budgets, written the statements. I’ve watched him make impossible decisions and carry the weight alone when no one else would.

He’s not a saint. He’s not warm. He’s certainly not subtle. But he believes in this town. Deeply. Desperately. Maybe even foolishly.

I’ve watched him pull strings I didn’t even know existed to keep this place afloat. Fudge a number here, delay a report there, whisper in the right ear to get a grant approved. None of it clean. But most of it necessary.

Do I think he knew about the water? Maybe. Do I think he’s trying to cover it up now? Almost definitely. But do I believe he’s doing it because he wants to hurt people? No. I think he’s trying to protect them. The way you shield a kid from bad news until you know what to do.

That doesn’t make it right. But it doesn’t make him a villain either. Just… a man caught between collapse and compromise.

I don’t know what the right answer is. I just know Peter’s not the enemy. He’s a man who’s too deep to turn around.”