The recent follow-up story about the TideSmart Global sign on Route 1 in Falmouth reported that town councilors spent “45 minutes berating Woods and his company.” That evening, I did not participate. I formally recused myself from the proceedings. As councilors, we try to remove ourselves when there might be a perception of a conflict of interest. As an agent at Clark Insurance, I am grateful to count both TideSmart and Mr. Woods as valued customers. Unfortunately, it appeared from all news reports that the entire council took Mr. Woods to task.

It is challenging for reporters to capture all the details in public proceedings of who did or did not comment. That said, I believe all news organizations would do well to note when an action or opinion was that of an individual, minority, majority or unanimous majority. Often, the actions of legislative bodies are lumped together as one when, in fact, there most often is a dissenting minority or , in some cases, a recusal. Said another way, voters would be well served to know how their elected officials vote and behave. Reporting the yeas, nays and abstentions also could distinguish a news organization and be of great service to the readers, viewers and listeners.

Town Councilor Tony Payne
Falmouth