The time has come for Mayor Roxanne Wedegartner to resign or be removed as mayor of Greenfield. At some point in our lives, each of us faces a moral crisis where we must stand up for truth and justice or become a perpetuator of untruth and injustice. Mayor Wedegartner has had opportunities to speak truth. She has had opportunities to act with justice. The mayor must go.
A trial was held in Hampshire County Superior Court and a jury, after hearing the evidence from both sides, found the City of Greenfield and Police Chief Robert Haigh Jr. racially discriminated against Officer Patrick Buchanan due to “racial animus.” In other words the city and Chief Haigh acted out of “prejudiced and often spiteful or malevolent ill will” (see Merriam Webster Dictionary).
Mayor Wedegartner stated on May 9 that the city and Chief Haigh will be “exonerated,” but a jury and only a jury is the finder of facts in a court case. After six years of litigation, a fair trial of four weeks and five days of deliberations, the jury found on May 6 that in fact the City of Greenfield and Haigh acted out of racial animus in discriminating against Officer Buchanan. These are the bold facts.
Every time the mayor speaks and acts, she makes the situation worse. She suspended under “house arrest” then reinstated Police Lt. Todd Dodge for testifying under oath in Hampshire Superior Court. He is still under investigation by the very police department that he testified against. If Dodge, a lead witness on Buchanan’s behalf, had committed perjury, he would be fairly investigated by an outside district attorney or an independent council and be given his day in court.
Mayor Wedegartner claims now that the decision to appeal the jury verdict will be made by the city’s attorney and insurance company, “not the city.” No, that is not true. The verdict of discrimination is against the city of Greenfield and its chief of police. Only the parties to a case may make the decision to appeal. At every turn in this sordid case, the mayor has attempted to put blame elsewhere and refused to take strong action to fire Haigh and Police Lt. Daniel McCarthy. She now says that “removing either Chief Haigh or Lt. McCarthy is not as simple as saying, “You’re fired, Donald Trump style.” No, the disgraced former president is no role model. Mayor Wedegartner should have fired the police chief and lieutenant for just cause and there is plenty of just cause.
If Mayor Wedegartner really believed her own words that “there is no place for racism in our city,” she would speak the truth, take responsibility, and take action to end racism now. The truth is that Mayor Wedegartner must go.
Michael Magee is a lifelong resident of Orange, a teacher and an activist for environmental and social justice.