Not content to take the medicine the State offered in its letter yesterday to move forward with a phase-out of government funding, the Greenway Conservancy came out swinging with a multi-colored slideshow defense, insisting that it needs to keep its public funding. The Conservancy has been under fire given revelations of excessive salaries and transparency issues relating to its use of State funds. Board Chair Georgia Murray writes in an email,
We were surprised to receive the letter yesterday afternoon from Secretary Davey that proposes that the State withdraw from the financial model that has been in place since the park opened. The change is significant and unexpected. Over the next few weeks we anticipate conversations with park supporters and with Secretary Davey to clarify the future funding structure for the Greenway.
The email goes on to champion the Conservancy’s achievements and justify its expense structure. It can be read in full here. The presentation concludes with:
We reject the notion that we must make the choice between a neighborhood park and a world-class park open to all, that somehow public dollars cannot be leveraged with private funds.
Posted on the Conservancy’s website is a shorter response to MassDOT Secretary Davey, saying that the regulator’s letter has “created some confusion.” The response letter is posted below and available here as pdf file.
