emergent ink

Susan Monshaw writes Hither and Yon, a column that appears in Citizen News. This is Susan’s column from August 13, 2008.

One of my favorite questions is, “why?” Why do things work this way? Why is global warming up for debate? Why do people sometimes say things they don’t mean? Why do kids drive too fast when they know the dangers? Why are there so many calories in chocolate cake?

I’ve been wondering why lately in regards to our municipal government. When I first started writing this, we were in the throes of an election. Recent events concerning the Senior Center project have only served to solidify my belief that there is simply no room for party politics on the local level. What we really need in a town such as ours, are concerned people who use common sense, practical judgment, and human courtesy as their guides in running elections and running our town government.

Party politics is defined as “political acts and principles directed toward the interests of one political party or its members without reference to the common good.” I think we’ve seen a lot of this lately and I cannot fathom what possesses a group or individual to act this way. Election-time editions of this newspaper literally oozed green bile as the spurious, sneaky and mean letters to the editor took up more and more space. Crazy signs appeared and unwanted and sometimes unauthorized “robo” calls went out to residents across town. Did all of this really make you want to run right out to the polls and vote? It made me want to shout, “why???”

It seems to me that we really don’t need a specific Democrat or Republican team to help us manage the business of our little corner of Connecticut. Does it require a certain liberal panache to get funding to put down new carpeting in the library? Do we really need to be conservative about filling in potholes or resurfacing a street? Naw, I think we just need smart people to look at the issues facing our town — from a municipal water system, to safety at the state park, to working with our local school board — with an eye to making the right choices for now and the future. While it may be a burden to do the right thing, there should be plenty of help for our town leaders if all of the folks filling these roles simply used the Golden Rule as their guide.

I don’t pretend to possess the common sense and management capabilities that I would demand of our town leaders. That’s why only a few, brave souls actually run for these posts. But I certainly know a kind and decent person when I meet one, and I’m pretty sure most of my neighbors would too. My hat is off to the candidates who run for the right reasons. And only they know who they are. I have no respect for those who remain in positions of authority and use that position to cause trouble.

I learned about office politics in my first job as a manager. I learned that to be “politically savvy,” one had to recognize when someone was lying to you, or stretching the truth, or was motivated to do things that made no sense, for gain in another arena. I learned about “saving face” for your boss — something similar to the party politics that play out in these parts. I never did like this kind of thing and ultimately moved on to other jobs — with their own sets of political gauntlets. I realize that there is no escaping this stuff, but I don’t think we all have to accept that the nature of this beast is narrow-minded and sometimes cruel.

And what about the pay-off? Most of our town boards are comprised of volunteers. That means that the only real compensation fore these folks must be some sense of satisfaction. It is alarming to see such satisfaction in the gleeful snickering that goes on in some board meetings, and the tenacious grip on past mistakes that one side is trying to right, while the other relentlessly beats on the drum of fault. Anyone brave enough to take on a leadership role in the life of our town, from kindergarten room parent to first selectman, should be doing this with the ultimate goal of making some positive impact. They should demand such sense of purpose from their running mates, campaign teams and supporters too. They should also demand these attributes from their compatriots on all of the town boards who should be working together, not working to block forward momentum simply because they do not like the person in charge of a particular project.

The Community Service Club uses the slogan “for the good of our town.” I think everyone should adopt this philosophy. If we all did, we would see how hurtful some loud criticism of a candidate might be to his or her wife or family, and maybe think of a better way to point out a flaw that needs attention, debate or correction. What about the letter writers who shamelessly stress the truth to make their point of view more believable? Is there no accountability of the small fry who participate in party politics, to those seeking to hold important town offices?

I have a friend who laughingly calls herself the last Pollyanna. I say good for her. I would like to believe that people are generally motivated to do the right thing; not at the expense of anyone else. We elect our town representatives (and state and national ones too) based on our hope and belief that they will act on our behalf in a positive and productive manner. This is an awesome responsibility that is certainly not to be taken lightly by those who succeed in garnering a seat on a board or a place in an ofice. I can imagine how exciting and gratifying it must be to participate in a decision-making body, and to have those meetings broadcast on our local cable channel. I can also see how easy it is for some of those people to forget that they are not in those seats to further their own personal agendas. Personalities and opinions do not belong in the decision-making process — from school board budgets to town-wide referenda.

I wonder who might answer the question, “why?” don’t we just figure out how to work together to get things done that will ultimately benefit the entire town? If we agree to the notion that our democracy works, then we need to let the majority rule and allow those in office to do their jobs. If they have been elected by the largest number of sane-minded voters, then they are in the position of trust. We can, and will, trust our elected officials and volunteer board members to do what they have been “hired” to do. That is, do the homework, make the decisions and follow up on the projects that we entrust to their judgment and action.

Negative Nellies beware: Pollyanna has a lot of friends and they won’t stand for any more of your of your useless drivel. IF you cannot offer any real solution or valuable input to a problem, please do not feel obliged to share your dark views with the rest of us. We are looking forward and reaching out for positive, forward momentum. Years from now, for example, when the Senior Center is something that we all take for granted, few will recall the petty shenanigans that slowed its construction. Instead, townspeople of all ages will just be glad for a well-located gathering place and the forward thinking people of the past who made it happen.