Misinformation Wastes Time And Money
Misinformation Wastes Time
And Money
To the Editor:
A recent letter applauded The Bee for placing editorâs notes after letters that had incorrect information in them that effects important public matters, and went on to say they wished it had been done long ago. The subject was Fairfield Hills and all the misinformation and changes that have been made in conjunction with the handling of the property.
The March 21 issue of The Bee also contains editorâs notes, this time on misinformation on the handling of the proposed high school addition. I strongly second the applause of the corrections because they should stop the repetition of the same misinformation week after week and month after month.
The fact that the same misinformation appears in two letters indicates that it probably came from the same source in e-mails. The Internet and e-mails are now the most common methods of obtaining information, and that is good if the information is correct, but it can create a great disservice to oneâs cause if it is wrong. It brings into question the validity of everything else that is said. Most meetings and decisions are a matter of public record and a person should be able to determine what was done and what was decided for sure⦠no guesswork and no matter of opinion. In the earlier days of the Fairfield Hills discussions there was a public vote on how to handle certain matters. Since it was presented to the public for input there should have been published guidelines spelling out whether it was a binding referendum or an advisory poll to help planners come up with possible approaches. Several years later one side is still claming it was merely advisory and the other side claims it was all binding. I have sat in awe that nobody has gone into the public record in all this time to see which was the case. The result has been ongoing growing animosity which leads to wasted time and rising costs.
The current school addition fiasco is following the same pattern. Letter writers are using their energy to make charges and countercharges based on bad information; while time is wasted, costs go up and the quality and ratings of our schools are placed in jeopardy. This energy should be spent getting it right.
As to the fact that apparently only one member of the Board of Education knew the high school addition was on the Board of Selectmenâs agenda, the concept that the agenda only has to be posted in the town hall and that website posting is not required is a little lame in this day and age. An item this important and this time-critical should have been posted on the website in good faith. This was a case where lack of information was even more harmful that bad information.
I hope The Bee will continue to correct bad information that diverts attention and energy from vital matters.
Howard F. Bowles, Jr
2 Old Castle Drive, Newtown                                      March 24, 2008