Sep 13, 2015 4 min read

In many situations, it has often been noted, sunshine is the best disinfectant.

The truth will set you free, if you will.

But those strong, simple messages have not gotten through to some elected officials and developers in Greene County.

The Central Greene School Board and district administrators have refused to address the absence of Dave Mason, the principal of Waynesburg Central High School, since the beginning of the school year.

While it’s true personnel issues can be discussed by the school board in closed-door executive sessions, the disappearance of a high-profile administrator from his post should at least be acknowledged.

Both the parents and taxpayers have a right to know who is running their local high school. What would happen – God forbid – if an emergency situation unfolded at the high school and a parent needed to reach the principal? That mother or father has every right to know which person they should contact, or be assured the administration is fully prepared to handle any situation without the principal’s guidance.

And what about the taxpayer? Taxes earmarked for schools make up a hefty portion of the average person’s annual tax bill, so they absolutely have a right to know how that money is being spent or misspent.

The reasons behind an employee’s suspension or dismissal might never be released, but the employment status of a government worker, whose salary is funded by taxpayers, should be made public.

“They’re just going to have to keep on waiting,” Central Greene School Board Director Sharon Bennett said about why Mason’s employment status is being withheld from the public.

Has Mason been suspended? Is he being paid? The board and administration won’t say.

Meanwhile, there is a different matter coming to head in Cumberland Township, where DJ Realty Holdings LLC wants to build a methadone clinic at Paisley Industrial Park near Carmichaels.

It would be the first such drug treatment clinic in Greene County, which has a growing need for a program as heroin and prescription drug abuse sweeps across the area. The proposal has stirred anger and anxiety from township residents.

Dr. Neil Capretto, the medical director for Gateway Rehab in Beaver County, commented in Sunday’s Observer-Reporter that a methadone clinic is unlikely to bring crime to the area, and should instead decrease criminal activities as addicts get the help they desperately need. He added it is incumbent upon the developer to be transparent with the public so area residents are at ease about the plans and know what they can expect when the facility is operating.

“I would be proactive with the people and urge the clinic to be transparent to get feedback and assure the public,” Capretto said. “When you don’t, then you have tension and problems.”

But there is little information about the facility or who would operate it besides a few architectural renderings and the site plan where it will be developed. No one from DJ Realty Holdings appeared at multiple public meetings to speak about the plans, and the doctor who is expected to oversee the site refused to comment when contacted by the Observer-Reporter last week.

While the developer is a private company and wants to build the methadone clinic on private land, it still must gain approval at the local, county and state levels. The owners might not have to divulge every detail about the methadone clinic, but they should at least present their plans to the public so nearby residents aren’t left to worry.

These agencies – one public and the other private – might think they are better served by keeping their intentions a secret. Both they and the public would probably benefit if they were open and transparent.

Instead, it looks as if they have something to hide.