Secretly Changing Theatre Locks Not Normal or Professional: Letter

By Carol Lockshier

I read about where the Mayor's office had the locks and the alarm system code changed ...evidently in the middle of the night without giving notice to volunteers or workers.

I decided to discuss this with some of my legal profession friends.

They were very surprised at this behavior. It did not seem like a professional or respectful way to deal with any concerns the Mayor had about the theater, be it health or any other issue. 

The professionals I spoke with concurred that this not only was not a professional way to handle any concerns that the Mayor had but they wondered if there was something else behind this behavior.

Could it be that the Mayor was angry about something else...and this was retaliation? I could not answer this. 

I understand that Mr. Catalano who has done an outstanding job coordinating the proposed reopening of the theater was surprised by the Mayor's actions.

It was unanimous that the normal and professional way to handle this would have been for the Mayor to discuss any concerns with Mr. Catalano first instead of secretly changing the locks...why didn't this happen? I had no answer. 

My attorney friends could not understand why the Mayor would not take Mr. Catalano's passion for the Theater as an opportunity to make Stratford a place where the Theater would bring in revenue for the town and its businesses. 

It was something they wondered about because the Mayors in their towns had interest in keeping the Historic heritage of their towns intact and were very successful with profit.....  I had no answer.

To submit a letter to the editor email jason.bagley@patch.com.