I donít know Mike Moran, and he doesnít know me. I do know about Mike Moran. His name is synonymous with TCAN. I always thought he fit the bill, not just in personality, but even in looks. He was not only always there for this Natick project, he was everywhere for it. In the early days of TCAN, whenever I saw him I would wonder if his dream would come true.

So far, I have read two articles in the Metrowest News about the firing of Mike Moran as the director of The Arts Center in Natick. After the first article I thought I would just wait because surely there would be more of

an explanation than there was. After that article I shook my head in disgust when I read that the TCAN Board had hired someone part-time at a salary that was $10,000 less than Mr. Moran’s full time salary. I thought, these people are such ìjerksî. Humiliation is a nice touch.

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> Anyway, I thought we would soon learn Mike Moran was embezzling, or > doing drugs, or worse. So, I waited for the story to develop.

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>The second article (March 18th) sited Milton Gilbert saying the reason for the firing was that Mr. Moran didn’t ‘mature’ in the director’s job after they moved to their new location.

This is exactly what ís wrong with TCAN. Instead of hiring an assistant to help Mr. Moran in this position of more responsibility in a new building, they simply choose to get rid of him. Mike Moran wears a hat, not many hats. Did the almighty TCAN Board ever think that if you want people to progress in a job, they might need training. Mike has the creativity and vision for this job, you need little else, except maybe learning how to do the other stuff. Creative people might have trouble with the paperwork. But instead of teaching fire him. You people suck.

This is just so typical of Natick. Take a good thing, and instead of investing in it or nurturing it, just run it into the ground, (Golf Course, Skating Rink), or fire it, (Dr. Sara Lane). For the TCAN board’s ignorance, I hope the place goes under. I hope it will have to be re-renovated to ‘The TCAN Museum of the Stupid’. Think of the portraits we could display.

The problem with TCAN is that after it ís tumultuous beginning it started to feel like a cult. People, like myself, who let people like Mike Moran, do all the hard work, are finally starting to realize that ‘gee, he really had a good idea’. Just when me and my friends start to support it, even if by just attending, the Board goes and does something like this. Disappointing. Typical of the people on the Board. What a list of Natick names until the Board changes I for one, will never buy another ticket.

The Board should have sold tickets to his public lynching, they would have made a fortune.

Watch your back Mr. Lavalley.

Barbara McGrath