Vandalism Problem At Town Hall —

First Selectman Angered Over Broken Railings

By Kendra Bobowick

Town property has become a canvas for vandals’ destructive efforts again this week. The broken railings at Edmond Town Hall may not amount to much — roughly $50 of damage — but added to the constant signs of mischief, the few missing balusters have become a big problem for officials.

Building Superintendent Clark Kathan said, “This is why we can’t have anything around here, it’s something every week.”

Time, opportunity, and the weather fuel malicious motivations of what First Selectman Herb Rosenthal suspects is the work of young adults. Problems increase, “as soon as the warm weather starts,” he said.

Police arrived at town hall Monday, and consequently filed the case as third degree criminal mischief. Eight balusters were knocked from beneath the railing on a handicapped ramp. Police ask anyone with information to contact them at 270-8888.

According to Police Chief Michael Kehoe, police plan to increase their presence in the town hall area on weekends, “in view of the unsupervised youths spending time there.”

He issued a comment that parents should monitor their children’s activities rather than letting them go unsupervised and get into mischief.

If the problem persists, police may start calling children’s parents to have them retrieved from the premises, police said.

Mr Rosenthal faults the vandals and the parents saying, “Most [parents] are good, but there are enough irresponsible ones who drop their kids off for four hours [at the movie theater] and don’t know what their children are doing.” With years of experience on the Board of Education, Mr Rosenthal explained, “Sometimes it’s not the parents’ fault, but when you have a child who is irresponsible and vandalizing you can often trace it back to the parents, I don’t mind saying that.”

Further contemplating the role parenting plays in this problem, he said, “A vast majority are concerned parents, but there are some who aren’t.”

Theater Manager Tom Mahoney shares the first selectman’s views.

“It’s complete lack of respect and it goes back to the parents,” he said.

Both Mr Rosenthal and Mr Mahoney agree that during R-rated films especially, those “moviegoers” who are not old enough to buy a ticket “come out here” said Mr Rosenthal. “Out here” is the town hall grounds, where Mr Kathan Monday pointed to the most recent evidence of broken wooden railing sections laying on the ground and spilled soil from the planters out on the front steps. He describes additional defaced property he has encountered.

“Graffiti is the biggest problem,” he said. Broken screens also have plagued him, he explained, saying, “I used to have to replace the screen to the back door at least once a week.”

Trying to manage the problem on certain occasions, Mr Mahoney said he has encountered parents he claims, “don’t care either” about their child’s behavior.

Confronting certain young people himself, he said, “I have been called every name in the book.”

Discussions of other areas where youth congregate also arose. Young Adult Librarian Margaret Brown has not seen any indication of deliberate mischief, however, she explained that after school the students could be “wound up, but no vandalism per se.”

(Andy Gorosko contributed information to this story)