Rumeny selectmen should follow majority to Main Street gazebo site

To The Daily Sun,

In previous years, the Rumney Old Home Day Committee has been charged with affairs relevant to the "Old Home Days" events. Rumney's past celebrations were successful, and there were no problems with our Board of Selectmen. This exemplified the board's role as a collegial body in conducting town business.

Rumney is celebrating its 250th founding anniversary this year, and now we have a Rumney Old Home Day/250th Anniversary Committee. The planned chief marker of this event is construction of a gazebo at the town common. But a question arose as to which of two proposed locations would be best. As a recognized body conducting a function relevant to the 250th anniversary town business, the committee decided to take the pulse of the town. At the Tuesday Nov. 8, 2016 election, the committee had a table at the Russell School voting place. The voters were presented a document to express their preferred site for the gazebo, with their signatures. This procedure was in an open public place, and obviously was seen and witnessed by town officials. At the time, the Board of Selectmen did not give an order to stop the exercise, and a warning that the result would not be recognized by them.

The town's will as represented in votes for the gazebo location were: Main Street - 147 votes, Water Street - 133 votes.

When the Old Home Day/250th Anniversary Committee presented the voting result to the Board of Selectmen, the latter declared it as "fairly evenly divided". With a significant 10 percent difference, the selectmen showed their hands as favoring Water Street location, carrying the lesser town vote.

Many others and I share the opinion that the Board of Selectmen's negation of the town will does not show this body as primarily protecting the town's interest. The selectmen's present position may even raise the question about whether other interests are involved. I hope the selectmen will reconsider their decision and abide by the town's will.

Marcosa J. Santiago-Ecklein

Rumney