~an editorial by Janice Harbaugh
The Mahanay Memorial Carillon Tower, a gift from Floyd Mahanay and built over 50 years ago, has become a spot of joy to people of the county, musicians, and visitors since the bells actually became playable several years ago.
The Bell Tower Community Foundation and the Greene County board of supervisors have been acting as stewards of the gift. Recent revelations about the lack of written policies on the part of both stewards makes it look like decisions about the tower and music are made on the fly, by whomever happens to field a question from the public.
The responsibility for music selection has been passed back and forth between the Foundation and the supervisors several times over the past weeks. This is also true for the question of whether groups should be allowed to request music.
It appears no guidelines, procedures, or philosophies have ever been written to make sure the Tower is not exploited for advertising or political purposes. Decisions are apparently made on a case-by-case basis with room for bias, depending on who is making the decision at the moment.
These seat-of-the-pants decisions have set precedents which our county attorney is now trying to unravel. The bells have to be silent because of legal issues.
This is not a one-issue problem. It’s not only about selecting music or deciding if groups can request music. This is about the stewards seeing the big picture of their responsibilities and knowing what those responsibilities are. It’s about a comprehensive, written policy and procedures book that all can see, study, and use.
The public has a right to know how the stewards are taking care of things. The public has a right to read the policies and procedures and to know what decisions are made at meetings of the Foundation. A comprehensive written manual for decision-making is common sense. It protects the decision-maker, the Tower, and the monetary investment people have made over the years.
People in the county have responsibility, too, to make sure the stewards are tending to business. There are matters of inclusion and equity to be addressed, also.
For example, our county attorney has said, “If one person is allowed to play the bells, all must be allowed to play.” But the bells are not accessible to all. A person can play the bells only if they are able to climb two flights of ladder-stairs to the keyboard.
I’ve been told the keyboard can be moved to the lower level, if needed. What are the written guidelines for when this is considered to be “needed?” How is it done? Who does it? How long does it take?
If the keyboard can be played from the main floor, why is it now in a place that is not accessible to all? Even if the decision is that only Mahanay Maestros will be allowed to play, there certainly are people who would like to become a Maestro who can’t use the ladders.
Political affiliation should not be introduced into decision-making. There should be a written list of national holidays, state special days, local special days, and other days of importance as determined by a diverse group of county residents. This list would be published. On these days, patriotic music will be played, either live or electronically. No political party should have to request patriotic music for special days.
The stewards have been asleep at the switch. Interested people in the county now need to be involved in oversight of the stewards.
