I would like to respond to doubts about my transparency with the press as a member of the Hartford Selectboard that surfaced in this newspaper recently (“Scaling the Stone Wall,” May 3).
During my time with the Hartford Selectboard, I have appreciated the Valley News’ approach to local reporting and have consistently contributed comments regarding news in Hartford. Indeed, interacting with Valley News reporters has been an aspect of board work that I have enjoyed.
And yet, I recently chose not to respond to a request for comment for an article highlighting a conflict between the town manager and the Selectboard (“Ordinance Raises Grant Concerns,” April 21) regarding the legalities of certifying a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant application. I also let fellow Selectboard members know via email that I felt the topic called for particular discretion.
As has been reported, this email contained the unfortunate sentence: “The less the story (the Valley News) can put together, the better.” This was a poor choice of words, which could understandably be taken to suggest an intent to hide something from the public. However, this was not my intent, and when challenged on this email I stood by it, and I still do. Here’s why.
I had responded out of concern over the conflict brewing between Hartford’s Selectboard and town manager. I felt it would be tempting and yet unhelpful for board members to stake out positions that would constitute a premature confrontation that could harm the board’s relationship with the town manager. I continue to wish we had exercised this discretion during meetings. Sadly, my concern about the volatility of the disagreement regarding grant certification was well-placed. Our inability to constructively resolve these differences contributed to the town manager’s subsequent decision to resign.
I hesitate to speak in a defensive mode at a time when such a gesture may appear petty in the face of the health emergency we are facing, but I wanted to follow up for the sake of what little it could do to help restore the sense of community trust needed at this time.
SIMON DENNIS
Hartford
Twenty years ago, villages in the Masvingo area of Zimbabwe were reeling from a number of truly dismal challenges. One of the most heartbreaking was the number of households headed by children, as many parents had died of “the sickness” (HIV/AIDS). Volunteers Nancy Clark and Prisca Nemapare had no money to give, but they did have creative skills and vision and ideas of ways to help villagers help themselves.
Together they founded the Zienzele Foundation in 2000. (“Zienzele” is the Ndebele word for “do it yourself.”) They used their backgrounds in nursing and public health to help women form cooperatives to support child-headed households, fund school fees, school supplies and basic food staples.
Over the years, small dreams led to bigger dreams. New projects started, and more villages became actively engaged in cooperative revenue-producing enterprises. Today, the Zienzele Foundation works with 38 different communities and has supported 10,000 schoolchildren with tuition and school supplies.
In the past, the foundation celebrated Zienzele Night each May. This year it will not be possible to get together, as we are dealing with our own pandemic. But we can celebrate the hard work, grit, perseverance and inspiration personified by Clark and Nemapare through the Virtual Zienzele Celebration: If you go to www.zienzelefoundation.org you can enjoy all the features of our usual, uplifting gala. There are updates, plans for next year, photographs and interviews, a silent auction, pictures of our beautiful baskets for sale, and the story of the new community building in Berejena. Since Zienzele Night is usually a fundraiser for the foundation, donations are appreciated.
Another way to contribute is to join the Zienzele Challenge. Go to the website, choose a distance and walk, run, bike, row or ride. If you are uncomfortable asking others to sponsor you, just self-fund and tell us what you did — $25 will pay school fees and uniforms for one child for a whole year. Hard to believe, but true. Thank you.
SUSAN BOYLE
Hanover
The writer is a board member of the Zienzele Foundation.
I am glad to have Henry Homeyer writing about the garden again, though I am not a gardener. My father-in-law said, “I enjoy work. I can watch it for hours.” I feel the same way about gardening, and I have missed the opportunity to enjoy it, regularly and vicariously, with Homeyer’s column.
DAN WING
Corinth