Take politics out of Three Rivers

Editor:

It will be unfortunate if Norwich loses Three Rivers Community College, but no one can reasonably argue that we deserve to keep it. The statesmanlike approach to decisions about Three Rivers would be to gather all pertinent information on possible sites and evaluate these sites in consultation with the college. We should acknowledge that Three Rivers deserves a nurturing relationship from us in exchange for the $200,000 its location draws into city coffers yearly from the state.

Once that decision had been reached, the college should have been able to count on council members to implement the decision.

Western Connecticut State University evolved from a community college into a residential college, which is an asset to Danbury. Danbury did not do this by holding a college hostage for the money while simultaneously ignoring its concerns. Our present course is crass political maneuvering, but it is also a very shortsighted approach.

I would suggest we donate a dictionary to some members of the City Council. We could then urge them to try to discern the difference between statesmanship and pandering to political cronies. We might hope they could also spare a moment to ponder the long-term effect to Norwich of substituting exploitation for stewardship in our dealings with Three Rivers.

JANET PATON

Norwich

Originally published Thursday, July 10, 2003
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