Editorial
Tensions

How do three groups that want different things resolve their issues?

For the last few weeks, tensions have been rising over what to do with the Town Common in Westminster. And things came to a head during a very tense, and slightly angry, meeting on Jan. 2, between the Board of Selectmen, the Jones family and the Historical Commission.

The Westminster Selectmen have for the last few years tried to keep the tone of their meetings light and have inserted one-liners or other jokes to seemingly keep themselves entertained at the meetings and relieve tensions. Sometimes the jokes appear also to be ways for delivering bad news with a lighter air.

But at their last meeting the jokes didn't fly. Many walked out of the meeting feeling disrespected, and causing already short tempers to flare faster.

The Board of Selectmen seems to be trying to take the political safe roads by having the disagreeing parties work out the solution for themselves.

This maybe an unrealistic hope as it appears that the commission wants to advise the Selectmen not to put anything on the town common and the Selectmen are looking for advice on how to make the benches in memory of First Lt. Ryan Patrick Jones, work on the Town Common.

The Selectmen, admit they took a misstep in not asking the Historical Commission to advise them before voting to allow the Jones to place bench on the Town Common.

But now it seems that short tempers and seemingly bitter feelings are ruling the day. Selectmen Chairman John Fairbanks may not get a resolution, as he has asked for, when the parties reconvene with the Selectmen on Wednesday, Jan. 30.

And if the situation can be resolved on this issue, which appear that a bridge the size of which would have to stretch over the Río de la Plata (the widest river in the world), it appears hard feelings will carry through to the other issues.