Friends and colleagues have been asking me when I was going to get around to telling my side of this intentionally contrived and utterly baseless story dreamed up as a “get-back” for my public support last fall for my former boss, Mike Gagne. I decided to stop helping the Standard Times to sell papers, feeling that they have been anything but neutral or fair in their coverage of this issue. Besides, I can have a lot more fun on my site anyway! So here it is, on my blog, and let’s get started!
- If you feel the need to catch up with what's been in the paper previously, scroll down to my previous post "The Price of Dirty Politics."
Can I take your photo?
Since the whole “photo flap” and “links” controversy erupted in the Standard Times just over a month ago (Feb 09), I followed the advice of my attorney, Philip N. Beauregard, and remained quiet on all fronts related to this matter. To be sure, it has been challenging for me personally and professionally, and especially difficult for my family, to endure the innuendos and attempts to malign and tarnish both my professional reputation, character and judgment, specifically by Select Board members Diane Gilbertand Joseph Michaud. Though the ulterior motives of these politicians were easy to spot by the many Dartmouth residents who have written to the paper to express their views, and in the process to offer their support to me, several important facts remain which deserve to be addressed by me.
If I hear "teens in striking model-like poses one more time I'm gonna puke!
It seems the Standard Times knows a winning tag-line when they see it. Article after article, week in and week out they used the "photos of teens in striking model like poses" line to keep this story titillating (now there's a word). Do these people live under a rock? Have they ever had kids, raised girls, taken a teenager's picture?
Posing is what most young people do when they know they're about to be photographed. And what do you know, they all had their clothes, too! (For some reason the paper just needed to tell us that, over and over.... as if they were disappointed, because as everyone knows, no clothes would have made for an even more sensational story!) I cannot tell you how many parents expressed their dismay to me after reading the articles, and checking out the photos on our site (at Dartmouthyouth.com) with comments like: "Those photos are beautiful... the kids are happy," and "if they "reveal" anything, it clearly shows that they have a wonderful relationship with you." (Oh, and if you do go to our site at DartmouthYouth.com, and click on the photo albums, you will need the pass code to view or photos. So email me (dartmouthyouth@gmail.com and if you are a friend of mine, or live in Dartmouth, (and if I like you!) I will be happy to give you the pass code so that you can view all the albums.)
The Dartmouth Youth Commissionhas had a free-standing Web site since 1999, and has had a working (and minuted) Web site policy in place since 2001. Every year, usually at our organizational meeting in late summer or early fall, Commissioners gave themselves the task of reviewing our Web site content and then reported back at the next meeting to make suggestions, edits or changes, etc. Numerous adjustments were, and continue, to be made throughout the year as well in order to keep content relevant, fresh and useful to the residents of Dartmouth. On average, the Youth Commission’s Web site (www.dartmouthyouth.com) has about seven-thousand unique visitors per month. (And by comparison, during height of the "photo flap" stories in the Standard Times, our hit counts at DartmouthYouth.com soared to almost 30,000.) Over the past ten years, not once has the Commission ever received a complaint from any resident regarding its Web site content, including our online photo albums, etc.
I have within my possession (as does my attorney) a folder of emailed correspondence by Ms. Gilbert and her supporters that clearly shows a connection between my involvement with a group that supported Michael Gagné, our former Executive Administrator, and Ms. Gilbert’s sudden interest and concern with the Youth Commission’s Web site and my personal blog at News From An Acorn.com. “ This correspondence was dated 2.8.09 and is authored by Ms. Gilbert. I didn't even have to research to connect these dots, Ms. Gilbert did it for me in one one of her emails. The fact that Selectman Gilbert had a concern is not an issue. What is disturbing is that she apparently found it more important to email her letter to others, including Mr. Michaud, Mr. Friedman, and Mr. Trimble, but didn’t bother to bring it to the attention of me as the Town’s Youth Advocate and administrator of our Web site, or the chairman of the Youth Commission. One wonders why. (In fairness to Mr. Trimble, he's stayed away from this swamp, even though he loves featuring Diane's ditties on his blog called Dartmouth Hitching Post.
A few weeks ago a friend of mine called me and said, "Kevin, you need to go check out Diane Gilbert's Web site. She's really rattled about all this and devotes a half-page on her site to guess who.... you!" Well, sure enough, my friend was right....see for yourself......here.
So who, we wonder, called the police?
Police Chief Mark Pacheco called me on February 11th to inform me that he had just finished speaking with a resident who was “very upset” about supposedly “naked photos of children” that were linked to this blog. (The one photo in question was of my grandson taken two years ago at Round Hill Beach in August….for God’s sake, he was 17 months old!) The chief told me that the caller intended to “make a really big stink about this.” I told the Chief that if someone found the photo offensive I’d be happy to take it down, which I did that evening. (The person who called Chief Pacheco eventually identified himself on one of the Standard Times blogs as Peter Friedman, Chairman of the Dartmouth Finance Committee.) That same evening I initiated several email exchanges with Mr. Michaud, and among other things, stated that I would welcome a chance to sit down face-to-face and have a discussion with him. Mr. Michaud ignored my request to meet. I waited another day, and, realizing that this fabricated issue appeared to be escalating, I contacted my attorney for guidance.
After reviewing the Town Charterand the Youth Advocate’s Job Description, Attorney Beauregard counseled me to follow the established protocol and meet first with the Youth Commission, then the Executive Administrator and finally with the Select Board and not the other way around as Mr. Michaud had requested. As a long-time employee of the Town of Dartmouth, it has been my observation that the current Select Board majority, unlike any before it, has made it a regular practice to bypass standing boards and commissions and instructs their department heads to appear before them, disregarding the input and value that the whole committee and board can offer.
Just hours before the Youth Commission met on February 24th, Mr. Michaud, delivered a two page letter to the Youth Commission that contained eight questions, and half of them were legal in nature, which meant we couldn’t answer them anyway! Mr. Michaud, knowing that we might need to consult with Town Counsel on some of the questions he raised, gave the Commission permission to engage with Town Counsel. The Commission sent a letter back to the Select Board, answered the questions that it could and offered its own proposal for formulating a Town-wide Web site policy. However, within a day’s time the Commission learned that its request to make an appointment with Town Counsel had been denied. (Now there's a shock!) Furthermore, the Youth Commission’s letter went into a file at the Select Board’s Office called “OTB,” (Other Town Business) meaning it may or may not ever see the light of day, never mind be taken up in an open meeting with the Select Board. It is my hope personally, that once the rush and influence of the upcoming town election is behind us that the Youth Commission, and me as its Youth Advocate, will have an open, Public Hearing before the Select Board. (You can read the Youth Commission's letter to the Select Board here.)
It’s interesting to note that Mr. Michaud said in his letter that “your input will be sought to assist us” as a Town-wide Web policy was developed. The resulting truth of the matter is that the Select Board immediately went into high gear and had the (very good and capable) Southworth Library folks whip up a policy and never invited the Youth Commission, me, or any other department for that matter, to be a part of it. Gee, I wonder why? The Town's New Web Site Policy can be reviewed here. It is, to be clear, a very good beginning and helpful document.
And so why the all fire-rush to get a Town Web policyin place? Mark my words, what Michaud and company really want to do is ban the outbound links that the Youth Commission has on its site that you can read for yourself right here. Why? Because Michaud and his ruling majority want to make sure that they're the only bully pulpit in town, that's why. It’s amazing how a little motivation can inspire politicians to get something done quickly!
I have a few Questions!
Why is it that Ms. Gilbert, a Select Board member and therefore by statute a Town official, didn't have the common courtesy to pick up the phone and call me if she was so concerned? Or if she didn't want to talk with me, why didn't she call the Youth Commission Chairperson, or the Town's Executive Administrator? And what is Mr. Friedman doing calling the police chief, and attempting to do so anonymously? And what took him so long to fess-up, when he knew that the blogs were blaming Ms. Gilbert for calling the Chief? And why didn't Mr. Michaud agree to meet with me face to face and sit down and have a conversation? That was the very least he could have done, especially as the Select Board Chairman. People do that sometimes, you know?
And finally, why is it, that all three of them, Ms. Gilbert, Mr. Trimble and Mr. Michaud, have never, not once....none of them, ever walked into the Youth Commission's office in Town Hall as Select Board members and asked me what it is that I do? How come they have never cared to ask what some of the issues are that affect our young people, and most especially, care enough to ask what the consequences will be for youth at risk if the Youth Advocate's position is eliminated? Is that asking too much?
My Gratification To Many!
- Thanks to the many people who expressed their support of me over the past month. I received ninety-seven emails of support that came from all over town, and as far away as California, Canada, Louisiana and the United Kingdom. I have a stack of cards, too, sitting on my desk that came in from all over. By far, most of the posts on the paper's blogs were supportive too. And as for the few who were not supportive, the best I can say is that some of these people need to see a therapist!
- I owe a special debt of gratitude to the artist community, who in sizable numbers saw the photo in question and declared it "art" pure and simple. A few of the artists also went head to head with a few folks who were critical, so much so that by the time they were done, I didn't have much to add to the discussion! So thanks!
- To my family... my wife Betty Ann, and our three incredible daughters, Jen, Amy and Rebecca..... for hanging in there with me, for their commentary in the paper and blogs, too. In my next life I plan to be a monk.....I promise... or a math teacher....
- To Gretchen Baker-Smith, for organizing, mobilizing, and firing up her keyboard on my behalf... and she tells me she's not done yet!
- To the members of the Dartmouth Youth Commission, for standing by me, for sticking their heads out and reaffirming the votes they had previously taken, but now with the glare of the spotlight on them over the past month.
- To my attorney, Phil Beauregard, for meeting with me on a Sunday, at his home, for two hours-plus on Feb 22nd, to hammer out a letter to the Select Board and the paper. Yeah, his bill is coming... but maybe I'll get a discount for plugging him here!
- To my co-workers and colleagues around town, in the schools, in Town Hall, and especially to Bob Carney, who let me know what Gilbert and Company were up to since late last fall. Thank you, Bob!
- To the guys I row with three times a week, called the Gray Buzzards, who made sure I laughed, checked in with me and who wrote letters, too,
- To my faith community of Quakers at Westport Friends Meeting, and my ongoing support committee of Friends, who cared and prayed that this issue would resolve without damage to me.
- To the nearly 300 Face Book warriors who formed a group to express their support of me personally and professionally. Wow... just wow, and thank you!
- To Eric Bibb, phenomenal acoustic blues musician, who's life-overcoming challenges music was just the elixir I needed as I wrote during my off-hours.
- And last, but certainly not least, to my my clients... the young people of our community, who, through their own anger and frustration over this issue, kept me (somewhat) lighthearted and positive, throughout. Tim, Matt, Sam, Karen, Kevin, Ally, Maggie and Elise... you know who you are! Thanks!
And BTW, the pics of young people in this article were all copied from the Web. And the photos of documents are...of course, a matter of public record. What a country!
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