Melrose residents seek YMCA officials' ouster
By Franci R. Ellement, Globe Correspondent | June 12, 2009
A group of incensed Melrose residents is demanding the resignation of two senior administrators at the city's YMCA after a state report alleged the officials repeatedly ignored the "red flag" behaviors of an after-school program employee for years before he was charged with the systematic sexual abuse of two girls.
The arrest of the employee and a scathing report by the state have galvanized angry parents and other community members, who are urging the YMCA to oust president Richard Whitworth and vice president Nancy Madden.
"My opinion is that I do believe that the president and vice president should step down," said former city alderman and lifelong Melrose resident Jane Lavender, 61. "Looking at the timeline of events that took place, they certainly had more than enough red flags and information given to them and shared with them that they should have taken action."
Mayor Rob Dolan stopped short of calling for resignations, but said in an interview this week that he has approached the YMCA and offered his help to make changes to restore public confidence.
"They are at a very serious crossroads now, and the risk is over 100 years of good service," Dolan said of the YMCA. "The tragedy here is obviously the victims, but if action isn't taken - and that action is a large range of options - 100 years of good service is going to go down the tubes, and that's not in the best interest of the city of Melrose."
James Conner, 51, the YMCA site coordinator of the after-school program, was arrested at his home Feb. 12. Conner was indicted on five counts of rape of a child by force, four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child, two counts of posing a child in a state of nudity, two counts of posing a child in sexual conduct, photographing/videotaping a nude person without their knowledge, interception of oral communications, and intimidation of a witness. Conner, of North Reading, is free on $25,000 cash bail but under monitoring by global positioning system.
After the arrest, an investigation by the state Department of Early Education and Care found that Melrose YMCA administrators "failed to protect children from abuse."
Whitworth and Madden did not return calls for this story, and many members of the board of directors referred calls to the YMCA's spokesman.
"The YMCA board is unanimously and totally in support of the present management," said spokesman Doug Bailey. "Furthermore, it respectfully asks that the vocal minority attempting to influence its decision-making kindly stand down and be patient while authorities complete their investigation and gather all the facts."
The state's Department of Early Education and Care has issued a legal order requiring administrators to put staff through the hiring process again and conduct proper background checks, require extra training, increase the staff-to-student ratio, and replace the administrator of the program, according to the agency's legal counsel, Constantia Papanikolaou.
Karen Dauteuil, who was Conner's direct boss, has been laid off. The program will be open only for another two weeks because school is about to close for the summer. If the program re-opens in September, Papanikolaou said, it will be subjected to higher scrutiny.
The 25-page report singles out administrators Dauteuil, Madden, and Whitworth and goes on to say, "The program's senior-level administrators and certain of its staff members disregarded and/or failed to report information that should have caused the programs' senior administrators, at a minimum, to conduct inquiries into the actions of the accused staff member."
The state report details the "red flags." When Dauteuil was hiring Conner in 2001, he told her he was terminated from the Andover YMCA for a misunderstanding caused when a child jumped into his lap. Two administrators also called Dauteuil and Madden, warning them Conner was terminated for "pretty serious" behavior. Other questions were raised at the Reading YMCA, where Conner had also worked. At the Andover YMCA, Conner was alleged to have slept next to a young girl on a sleepover and also would have the same girl sit on his lap during bus trips. Later, other allegations surfaced regarding a girl at the Melrose program as well.
The state report found that in 2008, many administrators - including Dauteuil, Madden, and Whitworth - required Conner to sign an agreement that he would stay away from the girl who attended the Melrose program. The district attorney's office alleges Conner sexually abused the same young girl as she rode with him in the back of the bus to the after-school program.
In a note to parents, Whitworth said: "It is also important from my perspective that only two children in the YMCA program are reported to have been abused. All the others in our care were safe from abuse."
The explanations have not gone over well with some Melrose residents.
"Their abject negligence has ruined two lives and they should not be rewarded with jobs after what happened," said Patricia Wright, a Melrose attorney and resident organizing the protest.
Melrose resident Andrew White, who has three small children, is also appalled. He wants the mayor and Board of Aldermen to intervene with the YMCA's board of directors.
"No city official has ever taken a step up to stay we have to keep our children safe by asking the board of directors to do something," said White. "I think it would restore faith."
For more coverage of Melrose, go to boston.com/melrose.
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Whitworth - "only two"
ONLY two?! Two is too many there should have been none. Do those "only two" not count in Whitworth's view, because they were "only two"? Whitworth needs to be fired - and sued. It happened under his watch.
The YMCA does not belong in the day care business. It should go back to its roots as a place where boys learned to swim and play sports like basketball, volleyball, etc. Ever since they changed their motto from body, mind, spirit and emphasized pseudo feel good "core" values (respect, honestly, caring, etc.) they've lost their way as they joined the crusade for inclusion where nobody is allowed to win. Now, they've become a social welfare organization and not a place where boys can grow physically and intellectually as they develop team work skills by playing on teams and interacting with team mates as well as emotionally by developing friendships by just hanging out with friends. The boys need to be challenged to work to their potential and coddling them in a day care program isn't the way to do it.
This is horrifying. These administrators should be terminated immediately. There is no excuse for this going on in this day with all that we know about child abuse. Reading this article makes me sick. Whitworth said: "It is also important from my perspective that only two children in the YMCA program are reported to have been abused. All the others in our care were safe from abuse." Is this supposed to make it ok?? Only two children? This man is insane. If the facts in this article are true these administrators are 100% at fault for this and they should not only be terminated but jailed.
I think this is a disgusting story and the administrators in question should definitely be fired. Whitworth should be fired due ti the insensitive letter sent to parents
that said: "It is also important from my perspective that only two children in the YMCA program are reported to have been abused. All the others in our care were safe from abuse."s" Not too mention his obvious neglect of duties. It was his job to protect ALL children.. and I think his letter victimized the community he served further.
bbuchanan, not to defend the catholic church; but YMCA stands for Young Men's CHRISTIAN Association... so this is not the place to take more digs at the catholic church. The archdiocese is NOT overseeing the YMCA's in Woburn, Melrose or otherwise.
Only two????? Are they kidding? This is disgusting and the administrators should also be punished.
Fire them all ! Then sue them for negligence and the YMCA too. Sounds like a church scandal.
Please folks, if you are going to bother to comment, please know what the heck you are talking about ("the C in YMCA stand for Catholic" sheesh)...
No one at the Y or anywhere else disputes the seriousness of this incident, or the changes in personnel management policies that need to take place. The people who are calling for Whitworth's and other top administrator's heads are a small minority. Heck, Andrew White is a quack who is trying to get people to ban the businesses of those who sponsor the Y!
I am a Melrose parent whose daughter is IN the after school program now, and my family uses a variety of Y services and has done so for many years. The Melrose Y is handling this situation and being very forthright with members and parents about what happened and the steps it is taking to rectify it's faults. People forget that this man Conner committed this crime, and did so very subversively over a long period of time. HE is the one to blame here - and those who remain are trying to pick up the pieces and move forward. The Jane Lavender Lynch Mob is accomplishing nothing but tearing down an institution which has been so important to so many for so long. And Whitworth has done more for the Melrose Y over the past 30+ years than anyone.
You will find that most actual members of the Y (vs. a few cranky residents) continue to support Whitworth and the Y BoD, and are willing to give them a chance to rectify their faults.
They knowlingly hired someone who was a pedophile to watch our children. And then ignored repeated reports from varoius Bus Drivers and employees that he was acting inappropriately.
These people are hired to do a job - they failed miserably. To say ONLY 2 children were abused is the most ridiculous thing to say . Mr. Whitworth, you should be ashamed. Mayor Dolan, please step up. We need you to stand up for Melrose Families.
As a Melrose resident with children who formerly attended the day care center as well as the after school program(s) for many years, I strongly feel the current administrators need to step down. Stating only TWO CHILDREN were abused is TWO TOO MANY. We need positive changes in this city. We need the Melrose YMCA to prove they deserve to be continue in this community. That will NOT happen until there is a shake up with the administration AND the board of directors.
I'm a Melrose resident with a child on the way. My wife and I were going to sign up for the Melrose Y, but the incompetence and lack of sympathy displayed by the Melrose Y management staff makes this impossible. If my child was attending the daycare or afterschool program, I would be appalled. Two is certainly two too many and though we all place trust in the hands of the people we leave our children with, the Melrose Y has lost that trust and rightfully so.
Good for you WonderingAboutThat. Respect, honesty, caring, who needs that! We want winners and losers and we want them clearly identified as early in life as possible. Inclusion is just another code word for social engineering which sounds a lot like socialism to me. Physical and intellectual growth through social Darwinism.
Seig Heil!
It is also important from my perspective that only two children in the YMCA program are reported to have been abused. All the others in our care were safe from abuse."
Is this man high???? What if his child were one of the "only two"?? How about if only one person is fired and it's him? The others were not SAFE from abuse, they just weren't selected by this predator. ALL of these children should be safe from abuse, end of story.
This behavior cannot, cannot be allowed to go unpunished - anyone who was in a position to hire this perverted deviant, anyone who witnessed a child sitting in his lap and did nothing, should be fired and charged with negligence. It is unacceptable, unsafe and unnecessary, for any child to sit in the lap of an adult on a moving vehicle, so why was it not an immediate red flag to anyone?? We as a society need to wake up and be absolutely vigilant when it comes to the safety of children.
The outright stupidity of those involved just shocks and sickens me.
Blue Heaven - You ignore the fact that Whitworth said "only two." Are those two not humans, not children?
This story is downright scary. I for one will not send my child to ANY YMCA unless I am there supervising the supervisors.
We wanted the Melrose community to know that we are here 24/7 for you. Our website is www.barcc.org and the hotline number is 800.841.8371. Additionally we provide free couseling and legal support to anyone of any gender age 12 and up and parents of children of any age. We hope for both justice and healing.
As a Melrose parent, I don't think we are a "vocal minority". This was an avoidable tragedy, and there needs to be accountability. The YMCA's handling of this situation has been disturbing, and their quotes "only two children" are horrifying. I agree that the "Y" needs to shut down these programs, as they are obviously not equipped to be in the Child Care business.
The "small minority of parents" is a group of 75 who signed a letter to board to start the process of changing the management. There would have been many more parents signing if there were a better way of finding them. To reach 75 working parents in a short time shows how upset and incensced most of us are. Some major changes are the only way to restore the community confidence in the Y.
Horrifying!!! My experience with the Melrose Y is that my kids have been yelled at by young "counselors" when they were in day camp and accosted/embarassed at the front desk, because the Business Office neglected to update their memberships of which I pay alot of money for, due to the fact that their friends go, and the fact that it gives them something constructive to do, they do still use the facilities. Yet, this pedophile, and there was plenty of warning, was allowed to work and abuse children , innocent children in the care of the "Y", whose parents put their trust in the Melrose Y. What more do you need before taking action and holding those in power, who failed miserably, accountable???? More children to come forward??
Hey BlueHeaven, you are ignorant and a fraud. The "C" in YMCA stands for "Christian", not "Catholic".
You owe an apology.
This is a horribly one-sided article that cites "state report" at least six times but ignores the YMCA's response to the report, which convincingly questioned its reliability and truth. People are just yelling "off with their heads" without the benefit of facts. One of the girls in this case, had a permission slip from her parents to allow Connor to pick up the child from the Y. Should they be fired. The state agency that produced the report gave a clean bill of health to the Y every year for decades and only found problems after the incident. Should it be dismantled. The incidents being cited as "red flags" now were at the time buried in a sea of support, trust, and endorsements from members of the Melrose community. Should we burn them at the stake, too. The fact is, as one person correctly pointed out here, this guy was a master manipulator who worked very hard to earn and engender the trust of both adults and children when he was apparently planning his crimes all along.
Why nobody has done anything is suprising to me.
Mary Sexton chairperson of YMCA board of directors(owner of Centery 21 Melrose).
has stated they are concerned with ligation at this point.
Now the question why are you not concerned with the safty of children now and before this tragic event?
Ligation is a legal word you use so you protect your people not the people who got hurt from the oversite of your board and adminstrators.
Let's face it this will not go away until you change leadership at the top.
The bottom line is that no matter how much the YMCA administrators have done for Melrose over their combined 30+ years of service, these terrible things happened on their watch and they should have voluntarily resigned. Stand up and take responsibliity for your actions-isn't that one of the lessons that we try to teach our kids? My family and I have been members of the Y off and on for many years and my son plays in the Y's T-Ball program( and we all think it's great). If the adminstrators care about the future of the Y, which I know they do, then I hope they do the right thing and walk away.
Hey Doug, No one wants off with their heads, just to have the job they get paid well for done, investigate red flags and alarms, and keep the children IN THE CARE OF THE MELROSE Y, as safe as possible as promised to their parents and the communtiy. They failed, and at least two families have and will contiue to pay a terrible price. They should certainly be let go, as I am sure they will, who the heck would ever put their kids in the care of anyone hired and or screened by they Melrose Y???? Yes, pedophiles are master manipulators, always have been, facilities that hire people to work with children know this, IT WAS THEIR JOB!!! THis is a fact, not a one sided story!!! HELLO????
One of the lessons I try to teach my children about is perseverance. And about the value of humility and reflection when facing troubling circumstances. And the value of goal setting, when striving to improve. And the value of patience, when trying to realize positive results. Voluntarily resigning sounds a lot like Quitting to me, which isn't "taking responsibility" as you suggest, nor is it a value I want to teach my children.
Maybe Whitworth will resign eventually. But I for one would like to see him stick it out, if for no other reason but to continue to remedy the situation that was exposed through the employment of that Monster, Conner. Whitworth and many on his staff have been a part of this YMCA for over 30 years - and during that time it has grown and evolved into an incredibly important service organization for the community of Melrose. He and his staff have been destroyed by these events surrounding Connor, and I believe that the only way we can begin this healing process is through patience and grace, and by letting Whitworth and his staff atone for these management misgivings.
Please note - one article does not and will not give the entire story from all sides (the childs/families effected, the Y and the legal side). The board, the memembers, the administration all have one thing in common - their name isn't Conner. A small majority (75 people signing a letter compared to hundreds of memebers over the last 20-30 years) have asked for the administration to step down. Melrose as a community wouldn't be the place it is now today without the YMCA these leaders have for years done a great job building the YMCA against other programs with more land, facilities and money. Now one child is far too many in any program for this to happen but in some regards this can happen anywhere which is very sad. This can happen at schools, churches, etc which shouldn't be an excuse for any institution but Conner was a worker at the Y and previous Ys for years. How did it go on for so many years? Did a member or parent ever suspect this over the years? People ask the same questions regarding the priest of the Catholic church. The answer is probably not - just like they didn't suspect these priest. One reason without knowing the entire story, these SICK people do anything they can to get close to kids. Should the Cardnial have been told to step down? He didn't, he was just moved. As for the administration of the YMCA, should they step down? My thought is no for reasons that how do you know the next administration doesn't have this happen. The current administration isn't hiding anything - they are open and honest regarding the whole situation. Don't read into the comment regarding "only two kids" because it was taken out of context. The question asked of the administration after the investigation was how many kids did it happen to because there was a fear (which was unfounded) it was more then two so "only" was in that context. The Y wanted to make sure they knew the scope of how many families/child Conner effected. Hundreds and hundreds of members trust the YMCA and granted one child is one too many BUT as ALL the facts come out about this case I think the "75 people minorities who some are not even members of the YMCA" will even shrink to a smaller number.
Under what circumstances would you require your employee to sign a document stating that he will not be near a particular little girl, and then allow him to be alone with others? After he has been fired from working with kids before, for "pretty serious" behavior! If anybody knew what was happening and did not make it stop immediately, being fired is far too easy on them. They should be prosecuted. He or she is an accessory.
So, are all you outraged Melrose citizens still going to Catholic Mass? Don't be so naive as to think we are getting the whole story.
If you have children, take care of them yourself if you want to make 100% sure that they are in good hands.
So, are all you outraged Melrose citizens still going to Catholic Mass? Don't be so naive as to think we are getting the whole story.
If you have children, take care of them yourself if you want to make 100% sure that they are in good hands.
My family uses the Melrose Y on a daily basis. When I moved here in 2001 we joined the Y immediately and our membership made our transistion into this community much easier. I have always found the Y and it's exceptional staff nothing but professional, kind, and postitive. I find it impossible to accept that the Globe article fairly portrays this painful situation that has happened.
This is obviously a very challenging time for Melrose and the Y. I understand that people are angry and wish to find someone to blame. I think that this is a natural response to a situation as volatile this one. My honest feeling is that getting rid of the executive director and any other staff would be the worst thing to do in a time like this.
I have two children who currently attend the Y afterschool program, and who were well acquainted with Jim Conner. I have long been unhappy with the Y in general (are you serious - I have to send my 6 year old son into the men's locker room by himself??) but put my reservations aside when I needed afterschool care, as there were no other options. This mess, and Mr. Whitworth's cavalier and disdainful attitude, have made me strengthen my resolve to not spend another penny at the Y until Mr. Whitworth is gone. I don't have any respect for Andy White or Patty Wright, and won't join their cause, but I will vote with my wallet. Many of my friends are doing the same.
Everyone in Melrose knows that the "C" in YMCA stands for CASH !!!!
The Y finds new ways of separating Melrose residents from this cash all the time while providing sub-par programs, and lousy employee's give or take a few diamonds in the rough.
We are going to remove our child out of the Melrose Y. Sincerest wishes and prayers to the victimized families.
The outcry has been successful in the resignation of President Richard Whitworth, and Vice president Karen Dauteuil, however, Senior Vice President Nancy Madden remains stubborn in resigning due to YMCA spokesman Doug Bailey of DB Media Strategies, and his whisperings in Nancy Maddens ear to stay put in order to drag this out even further for Doug Bailey to continue receiving his $500 a day paycheck.
The Parents of Melrose demand the resignation of Nancy Madden, and the Parents of Melrose Demand their City back ! The YMCA has been Boycotted until the removal of Nancy Madden is complete, Until then, the Melrose YMCA is a sinking ship.
Only after Nancy Madden steps down and resigns, can the city of Melrose wash the blood off of its hands from this drawn out scandal of child victims.
STEP DOWN NANCY MADDEN- WE DEMAND YOUR RESIGNATION NOW ! !
Nancy Madden is the Senior Vice president of the Melrose YMCA
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