Tiverton Citizens for Change

Marcia Pobzeznik’s report from the last Tiverton School Committee meeting was the top story on the front page of yesterday’s Newport Daily News:

Even though the School Committee majority of Bergandy, Wright and Danielle Coulter voted to ask for the study, Rearick said an in-depth discussion about phasing out the high school is premature because he has barely started compiling data. But others at a recent meeting wanted to talk about it.

Does she go on to quote Tiverton Citizens for Change President Dave Nelson, who stated at the meeting that TCC opposes closing the high school — or reducing any services, for that matter? No. Does she pass on the commentary of one townie who proclaimed loudly and often that Tiverton’s retirement communities are “a cancer on our community”? Nope; not newsworthy. How about the words of another concerned citizen who opposed closing the high school? No. Rather, the focus of her article is Tiverton’s top partisan, and here’s her next paragraph:

“This is something that had so many people in the public so upset we felt that frankly we should let them know there are people who share their angst with that type of solution,” said Charles Moran, chairman of the Tiverton Democratic Town Committee.

The only problem is that Moran didn’t speak at the meeting. Indeed, I didn’t even notice him there (although he may have been in the crowded room, somewhere).

Taking the time to attend town government meetings, and summoning the fortitude to speak at them, is valuable and important for all sorts of reasons. But getting your message to the readers of the Newport Daily News apparently should not be one of them, unless you’re a member of the Democrat Town Committee, that is; then you don’t even have to go.