Support Bill Smith

It is encouraging to see a contested election for Shelburne’s Selectboard.  In my view a healthy community needs the participation of its citizens. Too often in recent years we have heard complaints about decisions taken when no one had stepped forward to offer a choice about who would be the decision makers.  This year we have that choice, and we shouldn’t waste it.

In this election I have chosen to put my support behind the candidacy of Bill Smith.  As a citizen who has attended many Selectboard meetings, both on subjects that are very important to me and on others that were more generic, I value the fact that Bill comes to his position without a pre-conceived agenda.

Some single issues generate a great deal of passion, but the role of a Selectboard member encompasses far more than a single issue, and the impact of those broader decisions affects us all. Although I may not always agree with the Board’s decisions with respect to some issues, I recognize that a Board member must take into account many competing priorities and opinions, and that the resulting choices are not easy ones. In these cases I believe Bill takes seriously the responsibility to weigh all the issues, testimony and facts before making a decision, and then makes a fair judgment based on the information presented.  These are the qualities I look for in a candidate and the reason why I urge others to join me in supporting Bill Smith.

Gail Albert, Shelburne