To the editor:

As a member of the Watkins Museum board and recent past president of two terms, I find it very interesting that individuals who have never attended a board meeting, even though they are open to the public, should take it upon themselves to judge the actions of the board, based on having sat at the front desk, edited a newsletter and worked with Rebecca Phipps on a theatrical production.

The current board is composed of 15 professional individuals who were not on the board at the time of Steve Jansen’s firing or of Ms. Phipps hiring. Happily, it is also a board that can disagree with civility and come to a majority consensus, make the hard decisions and take responsibility for its actions, and look out for the good of the museum.

While I will not comment on specifics due to possible litigation, I will say that the simplistic view of blaming this all on funding, as some have done, is a supreme case of tunnel vision. Funding is only one of many long-standing issues involved over a span of years. To lay this situation at the feet of Judy Billings and the DMI is to be uninformed, to say the least.

In the interest of free speech, I fully support the right of anyone to express an opinion on the matter. However, I would also suggest that you give some credit to those who are fully aware of all of the issues involved and were forced to come to a painful decision, after a process which was at least three years in the making, namely the board of directors of the Watkins Community Museum.

Carmela Sibley,

Lawrence