Oh, deer

After reading the recent letter about rose thievery from the garden at Village Hall, I carefully examined the naked bush and saw that the roses had all been plucked without stems.
On any given late evening a herd of a dozen deer walk right past this garden to graze in Lewis Park. I don’t believe the culprit is a penniless smitten suiter but as any gardener knows who grows a rose, that it’s a delicious dessert for the dearest of deer.
The Village Hall garden is lovely and we are grateful to the Warwick Gardeners who maintain it. I was taken aback at the comment that the rose thief may have stolen the flowers because they thought that the garden was maintained by village employees.
Although qualified by the line that it would not make the theft acceptable, it remains an insensitive comment toward the men and women who work for our community. The insinuation that the public cares less for public property is a viewpoint I disagree with – Warwickians are proud of their public spaces, parks, and yes, roses.
A rose is a rose and roses will re-bloom, but words linger even those with an unintentional slight.
Very truly yours,
Mayor Michael J. Newhard