I watched with interest the recent Council meeting on group homes, available on Channel 11, April 6.

It seemed that several residents, including Representative John Kavanagh, wanted to throw rocks at elected leaders, staff and even the recently appointed Town attorney. These residents questioned the competence and effectiveness of our Town officials, as well as whether they really want to provide us with a safe community.

In my judgment, all of the Council members, including the mayor, were well informed on the subject of group homes and were prepared to ask intelligent questions on this topic. There are usually two sides to every issue, and the Council was adamant in addressing all sides, regardless of its popularity.

As an aside, our current Town attorney (who was also criticized) was appointed during the mayorship of Linda Kavanagh in a clear purge when she took office. She, and a few others, didn’t like the Town attorney we had at that time. Funny how the pendulum does swing.

Kudos to Councilman Scharnow, who surely was more informed and closer to these issues than anyone else in the room. Among all the members, he is the expert on group homes and his comments should weigh heavily on outcomes.

Kudos also go to Mayor Ginny Dickey, who went out of her way to summarize changes (sometimes step-by-step) during the hearing and gave clear direction as to what the next steps should be. She asked informed questions and must depend on the Town’s legal staff for proper guidance. The mayor clearly works with all Council members and encourages all to voice their opinions. Let’s hope that continues in the future, as a leader like this is hard to find. Passion is welcomed, but so is decorum. I am glad the mayor was wise enough to allow for both.