To the Editor:

Regarding the Dec. 4 letter “Marion Planning Board member must join team” by Jay Ryder. I watched and listened to the Sept. 15, 2014 tape of the Planning Board meeting, and Eileen Marum did not “verbally abuse” Terri Santos or anyone else.

Mr. Ryder’s comment that, “On numerous occasions, she has verbally abused Terri Santos,” is reckless, irresponsible and untrue. Mr. Ryder should support his allegations with times and dates and the exact comments made. Since the allegations occurred on “numerous occasions,” this should be an easy task for him.

When Mr. Ryder said Ms. Marum must “join the team,” I am not sure if “team” is the correct term; perhaps, Mr. Ryder means “groupthink.” There appear to be members on the Planning Board who engage in groupthink when they fear that their objections or ideas might cause other members to reject them. The suppression of individual opinions and creative thought can lead to poor decision-making and inefficient problem solving.

Ms. Marum is a thoughtful person, an independent thinker with great leadership qualities – a breath of fresh air. She is self-confident and capable; one who evaluates all alternatives and options, for example, her suggestion to move the Oct. 6 CVS presentation to the Music Hall for safety reasons.

Another point, some “team” members have been “forcefully” criticizing and attacking Ms. Marum ever since she produced a ground-breaking handbook that would help new Planning Board members assume their subsequent duties and responsibilities. Just because, “there have been no handbooks for Selectmen or Planning Board members, ever,” is not a valid reason to reject a handbook. Clearly, someone has an agenda, and it is not Ms. Marum.

Sincerely,

Gwen Breault

Marion