An Incredible Journey in New Gloucester
Jun 24, 2010 – Dear Editor, New Gloucester Selectman and Citizens,
What an incredible journey these past few months have been. Last night completed a process that demonstrated what an amazing town we live in. There is no purer form of democracy than the town meeting. My participation for the past few months has renewed my commitment to be an active, informed and responsible citizen. If we wish to foster these same qualities in our children, we need to set the example as adults in our community. Too many men and women have sacrificed their lives for us to ignore our privilege and right for us to stand up and vote for what we believe in. We owe it to those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice to do just that. Town meeting provides us that opportunity.
Given my experiences recently, I would like to share with you the advice and guidance I wish to instill in my two sons.
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• You have a duty to be an active and informed citizen in your community
• Be strong enough to stand up for what you believe in and cast your vote with pride
• Honor diversity in your community and do not judge others simply for having different opinions than you, respect them for standing up for what they believe in
• Every person has one vote and no one vote is more important than another
• Do not talk down to others or allow them to talk down to you, everyone's opinion is valuable and it takes a community to run a community
• Be open minded, listen to what others have to say, you may find they make valid points and they may actually sway the original position you took in the beginning
• If you become a leader in your community, recognize when change is needed
• Understand that being an elected official is an honor. Some will say you work for the people – you should work with the people but most importantly, do not ever think that you are above the people
• Rely on those with experience and knowledge to make informed decisions
• Demand quality work and actual data, not opinion and conjecture
• Back up your decisions with facts and written research, don't ask people to just trust your judgment, they won't and shouldn't
• Hold yourself to a high standard. Be open and honest. If you don't know the answer, admit it! Then go find the answer and get back to that person. Every question deserves to be answered.
Melanie Craig
New Gloucester
