I appreciate the Gazette publishing the Sept. 19 article, “Seniors burned by bridge dispute,” regarding the treatment of seniors at the Northampton Senior Center.
To the degree this story reflects the overall management of the senior center administration, it points to significant issues that city management should address.
The story concerned some seniors getting too rambunctious playing bridge and being rude to staff. The administrator of the program, Marie Westburg, responded in a manner more typical of an institutional setting by removing the “privilege” to play “until further notice,” and requiring the group to provide one person to negotiate on behalf of the others.
There is so much wrong with this. These seniors are members of our community who deserve to be treated as individuals and with respect. This is a program paid by city taxes for the benefit of the seniors. When there is a problem with interactions within a community setting, the first step is to talk with participants. (The second step is to talk with them, too.)
I trust the city is working with the senior center administration to view themselves as providing services on behalf of our citizens, and that an apology and respectful course of action will be taken. I would appreciate the Gazette following up on this story to see how things improve.
Dan Olshansky
Northampton