Setting the record straight

The cool thing about having a blog is that you can correct the record.

Today's Cape Cod Times reported that the high school building committee has designated Town Manager Robert Whritenour and school Superintendent Dennis Richards as their spokesmen.

The article noted, "More upsetting, Putnam said, is the building committee's presumption it can burden the superintendent or town manager with additional responsibilities, without prior approval from selectmen."

When I spoke with the Times, I thought I made it clear that the superintendent works for the school board, but that obviously didn't make it into the paper. If the school board wants Mr. Richards to serve as a spokesman, that's their prerogative and the selectmen have no authority to tell them otherwise.

However, Mr. Whritenour works for the selectmen. He serves as a representative of the selectmen to the building committee and has done well so far. While I appreciate his willingness to step up and help out in this situation, I think he has enough on his plate without being burdened with yet one more thing to do - something that any one of the seven members of the building committee could do.

After all, isn't that their responsibility?