Building community versus a Don Imus moment

Our community paper, the Barnstable Patriot, was delivered Friday morning. While scanning it over breakfast I noted an Opinion article( not a news article) about this Fall's School Committee election in our community.

In the article the writer makes a veiled comment questioning my character. It is veiled because he doesn't use my name and we have never met. I don't know him. He certainly doesn't know me.

The reason this guy gives for questioning my character is based upon a quote that I provided to a Cape Cod Times' reporter who called me a few weeks ago. The reporter asked me about the fact that Tom McDonald, our community's recently retired Superintendent,Horace Mann principal, school teacher, and life long resident of the community decided to run for school committee. I said that Tom was the most qualified candidate for school committee our community has ever seen.

Our Cape Cod Times' reporter asked how I would feel if Tom unseated me from the Board.I responded that's OK, Tom is a talented guy.

The Barnstable Patriot columnist uses that simple exchange to question my character!

I've used the word community in this post multiple times. Having been an active member of the Cape Cod community I have seen first hand the hard work required to create,build,improve,and maintain community. It requires dedicated, talented people to work together, think collaboratively, and envision ways to overcome challenges.

So, I guess this local columnist had a Don Imus moment. It's always disappointing to see and hear these types of hurtful character questioning comments especially when they appear on the pages of our community newspaper. I always feel for the professional journalists who are asked to share the pages and airways with these amateur ranters.

The old saying is it takes a team of carpenters to build a barn but one particular farm animal to try to knock it down. I will always work with the people who want to build up our community.

Thanks for the many supportive calls and emails. Lets keep working together.