Playing by the rules

It's no secret - the Falmouth Enterprise and I just don't get along.

They do, however, deserve credit for publishing my rebuttal to their latest attacks on me.

What follows also appeared in the Friday, August 12, 2011 edition under the title, "Calls Enterprise To Task".

It's been called one of the most embarrassing moments in baseball history. In the eighth inning with one out, the batter grounds the ball back to the pitcher. Bronson Arroyo fields the ball and runs to the baseline to tag Alex Rodriguez. What happened next is as unforgettable as the ball passing between Bill Buckner's legs.

In case you're not a baseball fan, Rodriguez slapped at Arroyo's arm, the ball went loose, and Rodriguez made it to second base. Arroyo was initially charged with an error, but the umpires conferred and agreed – Rodriguez had violated the rules.

In the sport of politics, the press is supposed to be the umpire. The First Amendment of our Constitution specifically protects the freedom of the press so there is a watchdog to keep our politicians honest. Watergate comes to mind.

But what happens when this umpire doesn't do its job?

Every fall, the Board of Selectmen sets fees and fines for the coming year. It's a well advertised process, timed so that the public will have ample notice of any increase, and the anticipated revenue can be included in the budget for the coming year.

However, in June the Board departed from this well established process, changing the fines for expired parking meters three months after the budget had been approved by town meeting. When someone spoke out against this, the Falmouth Enterprise didn't join the chorus against this unprecedented change, it attacked the messenger.

The appointment of town committees is also a very well established process. The appointment policy makes it clear that the selectmen are to interview every incumbent when there's a challenger. However, in an unprecedented departure from the rules, the Board reappointed incumbents first and without interviews, excluding many new applicants. Again, someone spoke out against this. Again, the Enterprise criticized the messenger.

Unfortunately, this habit of shooting the messenger instead of looking out for the people is nothing new. In 2008, the people of Falmouth and town meeting made it clear that an investigation or inquiry into the high school renovation project was a priority. The Enterprise attacked the messenger, and told the public to move on.

Two years ago, the town manager traveled to a conference without prior approval of the Board, or naming an acting town manager in his absence. When someone brought attention to these violations of contract and town charter, the Enterprise didn't chastise anyone for failing to follow the rules. Instead, the paper admitted to having no idea what the contract said, and then chastised the messenger.

In each of these examples, I was the messenger.

Mr. Clarkson suggests that I should "play nice", but how about playing by the rules? For more than three years now, I've fought for the people of Falmouth, asking that our government follow the rules, and when the rules are not followed, that people are held accountable.

Unfortunately, the umpire in this game – the Falmouth Enterprise – has abdicated its responsibility. I find myself standing on the field like Arroyo, wondering why I'm getting charged with the error when it's the other guy who didn't follow the rules.

After the umpires sent Rodriguez packing, a hostile New York crowd resorted to throwing trash on the field. In spite of this, the Sox won the game, and became the first and only team to come back from a 0-3 deficit to win the championship.

Like every good Red Sox fan, I have faith – faith that no matter how much trash is thrown, and no matter what the odds, the good guy can indeed win in the end.