Kudos to Rumford Selectman Frank DiConzo, who apologized last week to a town firefighter he asked to “step outside” during a contentious meeting on Aug. 21.
The apology was due. The audio recording of DiConzo’s remarks clearly proved his comments derived from rage, which, given his position as town selectman, he should have controlled. Otherwise, he sounds like an intemperate maniac, incapable of giving the decisions of government the necessary calculating consideration.
Small-town politics requires sensibility. Tempests will blow through teapots on a regular basis, and the way to navigate these storms is by staying cool.
The public is allowed to bellow. Elected officials cannot, or they’ll soon be sitting with the shouters.
There will be moments ahead in which DiConzo’s anger may bubble. But by apologizing to the firefighter, he appears to understand he must keep his head in these situations.
It’s an important lesson of governance.
We hope he’s learned it.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.