MY TAKE - Dickinson denies vets use of ‘showmobile’

For the details and back ground on this you can see my prior two posts “Letter to Mayor Dickinson from the Veterans Memorial Committee regarding his decision to not to let them use the Show Mobile for the Memorial Day services on May 28th at Doolittle Park” and the email I sent to Town Council Chairman Parisi, as well as the story from The Record Journal which outlines the end of the story presently where in Mayor Dickinson denied the use of the showmobile to the veterans.

I came to the Town Council meeting expecting this to be solely a cost issue where Mayor Dickinson didn’t want to expend additional funds.

I came to the meeting to make that payment to the town as I received pledges of a donation and was going to pledge some myself as part of the effort to resolve this issue and get the veterans use of the equipment.

The end result when I specifically asked the Mayor “if there is a way to remove the additional financial component of using the showmoblie for the ceremony can the vets get the permission to use it” was that Mayor Dickinson responded “no”.

Now he has given his reason of “he doesn’t believe using the showmobile as a reviewing stand is the proper use for the stage” but why does that matter? If the vets want to use it, and it is going to otherwise sit in mothballs for the day unused and we had people willing to make the donation to remove additional monetary burden from the town, then why not let them use it?

It is a mystery to me and I find it in very poor taste but that is just my opinion.

The veterans served this country, protected its freedoms, and preserved this way of life we have today.

All they asked for extra this day was the use of the showmoblie that is otherwise going unused.

At the time they served they were asked to give their everything and if needed, their lives.

“All gave some, some gave all” but Wallingford will not lend you use of portable stage now that you are in your 70s to have you be a little more comfortable on a day we are supposed to be paying thanks to you and remembering the fallen that never returned.

That’s not my Wallingford and I am ashamed.