I am writing with feedback on the article in The Concord Bridge that covers the vote at Town Meeting about the construction of the new middle school titled “7.2 million approved by Special Town Meeting for new Concord Middle School.”
The article implies that all of the people who spoke at the event were opposed to raising the additional $7.2 million and voted “No.” I write this because the article only quotes five people who spoke at the event, and all five were opposed to the plan. I was at the meeting and was one of several attendees who spoke in support of the plan and encouraged attendees to vote “Yes.” My recollection (and the recollection of several of my fellow attendees) is that roughly 15 people spoke at the meeting, and the speakers were split roughly 50% “Yes” / 50% “No.” The article is misleading.
Along these lines, the article only states that the article passed by “at least the two-thirds majority necessary.” But it neglects to state that it passed with overwhelming support. I (along with several of my fellow attendees) estimate that 80-90 percent of the 1,000+ attendees voted “Yes.” The vote was not close. Again – the article is misleading.
On a related note – I grew up in Concord and enjoyed reading The Concord Journal, which was at one time a vibrant local paper. I was sad to witness the demise of The Journal, and I was equally excited about the recent launch of The Bridge, as I believe Concord should have a local paper. However, I feel like The Bridge’s coverage of the proposed construction of the new middle school has been noticeably negative. I would like to see more balanced / neutral coverage of this topic going forward.
James Cohane
Central Street