The special selectboard meeting cum lawyer Thursday 5-13-10 was the latest municipal machine activity. One waits for the next thing...explanations, details, a developmental continuance, perhaps. But, in lieu of such, one is left with only the obvious: more questions.
What was the topic, again? Coming up with a coherent plan for dealing with a rather major lawsuit? One poised to split the town... Looking for a way to head off temper tantrums from an individual board member who is struggling to get the upper hand? Finding a way to thwart any real responsibility for having to face a bad situation gone worse because of action long overdue?
If there are questions to be asked about a lawsuit, what prohibited them from being asked back when things were too hard and too unmanageable and too threatening? Because now, the questions have become irrelevant and unanswerable. The questions are no longer how can we right the wrong, or how can we manage the wrong, or even how do we survive the wrong?
The question now has been dehumanized to the point of how do we cover up the wrong, pay off any individual bleating about being wronged, and get back to the "to-do list" of 4 individuals poised to run this town? Are we to understand, then, that this town is to be about things -dollars, items; not people? Not about principle, values, things fought for by more voters than have ever fought for things in this town for a long time? Is that the message for voters?
While we're asking, lets throw out a question about the local election coming up 3 weeks from tomorrow (June 8). Three Weeks. Any campaigning going on? Two selectboard seats open; a seat on PUD, and a school board seat. Have we regressed, here? This is the town who fought through 5 referendums in 5 months; individuals - and items - on ballots that threatened to change the way Paris operates. Are these folks running for office thinking people don't know the score?
Do we have individuals running for office now who think voters don't know that an individual running unopposed does not have a mandate? Do the individuals themselves know that? This is not Paris of 5 years ago. This is now. Voters are no longer keen on tantrums and posturing, or empty words with empty smiles and nice teeth.
Questions. With no real accomplishments, there is no real information (lest someone thinks words are going to do the trick...).
Ask. Ask these questions. The Paris Reporter will.
