I write to question the failure of the mayor, RoxannWedegartner to reappoint the chair, Daniel Yalowitz, to the Human Rights Commission (HRC). Although I have not studied the work of the HRC over the past few years, I am aware that the commission has been more active than it has been in the past. I attended the showing of the movie “She Said” after which Daniel led a discussion of the sexual abuse of women. It was a good discussion of an issue that concerns all of us including us in Greenfield.
I saw in the Recorder that the HRC was holding a hearing on issues concerning the chief of police, and that the commission was critical of the mayor’s handling of that situation. This was a perfect opportunity for Ms. Wedegartner to work with the commission to resolve this problem. Instead, she is trying to weaken the HRC by essentially “firing” its chair. It seems to me that the commissions that serve Greenfield work hard to research and explore issues that inform the mayor and the council. It is very counter-productive to “shoot the messenger.” Unfortunately, a study of the Recorder over the past few years shows that the mayor has been deaf to criticism.
The city of Greenfield is replete with boards, committees, commissions, etc. Among these is the Human Rights Commission. This is one of our most important organs of government. Human rights are more important than even development for the health of Greenfield.
Stanley Bernstein
Greenfield