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Restore Downtown's good name
(by Barbara Christian - February 17, 2010)
WINDOW ON MAIN STREET, BY BARBARA CHRISTIAN
Restore Downtown's good name
The fallout from Your Home Town -- Chagrin Falls' firing of its hardworking director, Nancy Haag, has begun, judging by the communications we have received on the subject.
The most significant bellwether of community reaction has come from the Chagrin Falls Historical Society, an organization that does not rush to judgment on anything.
Apparently, the treatment Nancy received at the hands of YHT was just too much even for the mostly conservative, always cautious and politically neutral historical society. On Feb. 9, in an act of unanimity, the society board shot off a letter to YHT. It was short and to the point. It read:
"This is to notify you that the executive board of (the historical society) has voted unanimously ... to not participate in this year's Home & Garden Tour." It was signed by Co-presidents Scrap Zalba and JoAnn Roeder. There is no mention of Nancy in the letter, but she is between the lines.
Ironically, it was Nancy Haag who single-handedly rescued the home tour from near demise after the original sponsoring organization could no longer manage it. The two-day tour has become one of YHT's most successful events.
The historical society's decision is important, because it has had a major role in the home tour from the beginning. Its name appears prominently on tour literature. It researched every home on tour, sold tickets, manned a tea for tour goers and offered its museum and meeting room as a rest stop.
YHT board members must wonder if the historical society's action marks the beginning of a trend. Did they miscalculate the reaction to Nancy's firing? Can they restore trust and return to business as usual?
Damage control is necessary. YHT must salvage what is left of its reputation and preserve its ability to function in the community.
To those ends, every member of the YHT board must resign, whether they had a hand in recent events and bad decision-making or just stood by and, through their silence, tacitly approved.
But before they resign, they have a chance to perform one final act of good faith. YHT leaders should apologize to the community, declare the organization in start-over mode and appoint a respected person as interim leader. He or she would assemble a new, dare we say, "kinder and gentler" board.
The first thing that new board would do is rehire its former director. Returning Nancy Haag to the job returns much-needed knowledge, experience and continuity and ends the need for continually reinventing the wheel.
The second order of business would be getting rid of that name. Your Home Town -- Chagrin Falls was never right. It is too cumbersome and obtuse, and recent events have made it toxic. Returning the organization to its old name, Downtown Chagrin Falls, will do two things. It will (a) restore the organization's good name and (b) restore the organization's good name.
Resignation of YHT board members is the right thing to do for the community and for the organization's credibility. The only thing standing in the path of the greater good is individual egos.
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