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| May 04, 2025 |
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April 26, 2011
To the Editor:
I feel obligated to clarify a statement I made a few weeks back on this website in response to an article reporting Mayor Coyne's election.
I wrote that "Villagers are on the hook for the slipshod construction of the DPW building." I believe that was an imprecise way to express my frustration over the way the project evolved, and it wrongly points a singular finger at Burns & Whalen Construction.
What I should have emphasized instead was what I believe to have been the flawed concept, management and oversight of the project as the probable root cause of this dilemma. Perhaps with a misplaced sense of frugality, an ad hoc approach was taken which resulted in plans not being stamped, etc., etc. To not assume questionable motives leaves only naivete.
If we continue to be 'penny-wise, pound-foolish' on our most significant municipal projects, then we're doomed to repeat the same mistake over and over again. What all taxpaying villagers expect and deserve is an honest accounting, a sound and rational plan for remediation and, if warranted, restitution.
It was surely not my intention to impugn the reputation of Tom Whalen, or Burns & Whalen Construction. They no doubt have a long list of satisfied customers who happily live in this community in homes built by them. I've only known Tom as an honorable, hard-working, and committed family man, and I owe him a public apology.
Sincerely,
Rick Gioia
Comments:
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As I've written several times, blaming Burns & Whalen for the DPW building's faults is like blaming a Ford assembly-line worker for Explorer rollovers that were designed into the vehicle by engineers.
It's rare that anybody on this forum apologizes, retracts or rethinks, but the fact that it's Rick Gioia who in this case does comes as no surprise.
posted by Stephan Wilkinson on 04/26/11 at 3:09 AM
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Well done Rick! Everyone has moments where they say something in frustration that they later realize was poorly said or even just plain wrong. To own up to it and apologize rather than dig in and double down is an admirable thing.
posted by Chuck Trella on 04/28/11 at 10:18 AM
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