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Massena Neighborhood Center should be looked into, says Canton resident

Posted 12/17/14

To the Editor: When I read the recent article in North Country Now about the Massena Neighborhood Center Director Elaine Eggleston, unilaterally rejecting a legitimate and heartfelt donation from …

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Massena Neighborhood Center should be looked into, says Canton resident

Posted

To the Editor:

When I read the recent article in North Country Now about the Massena Neighborhood Center Director Elaine Eggleston, unilaterally rejecting a legitimate and heartfelt donation from Massena native Michael Cameron, I was dismayed to say the least.

Mr. Cameron performs as a female impersonator under the professional name Amber Skyy; I was disgusted about the rejection of his donation by Ms. Eggleston and her feeble attempts to justify her decision. Ms. Eggleston felt that Mr. Cameron and his colleagues, who were contributing all the proceeds from their performance to what they thought was a worthy cause, was somehow tainted and beneath her exalted standards because of her personal fear of sex.

I was angry that a person like Eggleston feels that she is the sole arbiter of our community’s morals and values. Well, she and those of her ilk are sadly mistaken.

It’s obvious from reading about this nonsense that the Massena Neighborhood Center is in deep trouble. How can this person effectively operate in an environment as diverse as ours, given Cart Blanche to run the organization in any manner she sees fit, so that her distorted view of reality permits her to offend our friends and neighbors with impunity?

There is no oversight by a Board of Directors, because, surprise there hasn’t been a Board of Directors in years, she is quoted as saying. This is certainly a telling indication that there is something going on with the Massena Neighborhood Center that perhaps should be looked into, either by potential donors that are supporting ‘Her Center’, or other more official entities.

I must say, too, that I am clearly disappointed in the public stance and reaction to Eggleston actions by the St. Lawrence County Community Development Program’s Executive Director Norma Carey. Ms. Carey’s public statements were so full of equivocations and nonsense that I am sad to say; she too, sounded like a politician and / or a deer caught in the headlights.

I would bet anyone a dollar to a doughnut that she and / or this Eggleston character would be quite happy to accept a donation from Wal-Mart, McDonald’s, Monsanto or any other large organization that has a record for mistreating their employees, of tax avoidance, polluting our environment, etc., These egregious actions would not disqualify them from making donations to our social organizations, or preventing our social organizations from accepting any form of donations these types of businesses would offer.

I attended a Panel discussion recently in Canton and I felt that Ms. Carey demonstrated an enthusiasm that resonated with me and other members of the audience when she was speaking to the mission of the St. Lawrence County Community Development Program.

Therefore, I am quite disappointed that Ms. Carey was not forthright in asserting that Ms. Eggleston has committed quite a serious error in judgment and that Ms. Carey does not share Ms. Eggleston’s beliefs or ideologies.

I would like to believe Ms. Cary and her organization is firmly behind the commitment to caring for our most vulnerable citizens, as well as standing tall when our commitment to inclusiveness, that our community is so rightly proud of, is challenged by the likes of the Eggleston’s of the world.

Alan J Leo

Canton