To the editor:
The front page story in my long-loved Daily Item dated Sept. 2 and titled, “Lynnfield hands off Old Meeting House to Historical Commission” is inaccurate and extremely misleading to your readers.
Only three people in Lynnfield handed it off. I am a life member of the Lynnfield Historical Society and have kept close watch on the horrible, unprecedented saga about our Meeting House.
The article states that the Historical Society “managed the Meeting House under a mistaken assumption that it had authority to do so.” Wrong.
The truth is the Lynnfield Town Meeting minutes from March 17, 1960, Article 13 says “…voted unanimously that the town allow the Lynnfield Historical Society, Inc. to act as custodian of the building located on the Common at Main and Summer streets known as the ‘Old Meeting House’ and authorize said Society, with the approval of the Board of Selectmen, to make any necessary repairs to said building to restore it and enhance its value.”
The Item can find these minutes at the Town Clerk’s office, as I did.
Until the Society was locked out, it honored the charge of the Town Meeting for 61 years. The Society paid the regular bills and maintained the Meeting House. Most recently, the Society paid to paint the exterior and interior and replace the roof.
The Society purchased new cabinets for the little kitchen and planned to replace the appliances. The Society saved the taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Now the taxpayer will be required to pay the bills; the Town Meeting has precedence over the Select Board. Until now, there were no complaints. In fact, the Meeting House became the symbol of Lynnfield. Its picture appears in countless places, including the town seal, every street sign, the telephone book, and even on our police officers’ and firefighters’ uniforms.
Selectman (Richard) Dalton is quoted as saying, “now that the Town has control, people will see a marked improvement inside and outside not only of the Meeting House but at the Pope-Richard House.”
Please note the Select Board is not the town. The Select Board has control of the Pope-Richard House and let it deteriorate. Many Lynnfield drivers and walkers know how the streets and sidewalks are in disrepair.
The South Library building needs so many improvements that the Rotary gave it back to the Town and the taxpayers now will pay to have it improved in order to use it as an office for the Emergency Management Director.
The Historical Commission, now put in charge of the Meeting House by the Select Board, plans to usurp our fundraiser called the Country Store that the Historical Society has run for at least 57 years. How unstatesmanlike. How childish!
Don’t tell me the Commission respects Lynnfield’s history. Perhaps the Commission and Select Board would like to take over the PTO Pumpkin Fair, the Rotary’s Concerts on the Common, and the Geranium Fest.
Mr. Dalton states that the chairs and table in the Meeting House were “dangerous.” The taxpayers will have to pay for the new ones. The “dangerous” ones had “Historical Society” written on each one and the Historical Society removed them.
The Select Board has not allowed the Society to speak at two meetings. At the most recent meeting, about 12 of our members were present. In a democracy and a first-class town, both sides should be allowed to speak.
Truly fine leaders synthesize various applications of thought and research a problem in order to arrive at a satisfactory solution, often referred to as a win/win.
Companies and nonprofits have boards with more than three people. More brains can work out problems. Instead, we have emphasis on power and control. I suggest the Select Board review their own code of ethics and convene a seminar for all public officials to review its contents and discuss it in detail with an impartial convener in hopes that they will “embrace its provisions.”
I hope this newspaper will stop aiding and abetting and will cover stories fairly.
I am distraught about how well-meaning citizens are being treated in Lynnfield. We are witnessing a deterioration of town government in the hands of a very few.
Pat Campbell
Lynnfield
