It probably wasn't a good idea to edit the copy without consulting others, but I've dealt with situations where I've had to decide what to do with copy that's long and rambling to the point of being unreadable. Something needs to be done in those situations. When a website reads like a novel, it's time to have a discussion, figure out what your users are there for, and determine whether you might be failing to promptly fulfill those needs. There's nothing wrong with providing ample information on a website, but it needs to be organized in a way that delivers the right amount of the right information to the right people. If you can't do that, you're probably delivering a mess of an experience for the majority.