Page 13 - MARCH2022

March 2022
NEWFOUNDLAKELIFE.COM Page 13 ELECTION - VOTE MARCH 8TH
Letter To The Editor
My name is Aubrey Freedman, and I am running for the SAU4 school board position as the represen- tative from Bridgewater. I worked as an accountant for mostly smaller companies for over 40 years. I have one son and two granddaughters, ages 7 and 5 that are in public school.
In recent years at the deliberative sessions, I was dismayed to hear motion after motion from the audience to increase the school budget. Enrollment had been declining for years, and it has plateaued in the last few years, but staffing has not decreased at the same rate, and spending continues to increase year after year.
If we had something good to show for our hard-earned tax dollars, it might be worth it. But have you seen the proficiency scores for our schools lately? They’re absolutely abominable, and don’t get sidetracked by the remote learning during the pandemic. The scores were scandalously low before 2020, and extra Title 1 “Proficiency Teachers” have been hired specifically to remedy the situation.
Throwing more money at the schools—which we’ve already been doing for years—will do nothing to prepare the kids for the future. I advocate getting back to teaching the basics and doing away with the latest educational bureaucrat-endorsed teaching trends. Also, encouraging parental involvement is critical to producing better outcomes for the students because the teachers can’t do it alone.
- Aubrey Freedman
Letter To The Editor th Bill Bolton is running for the Plymouth Selectboard, and he would appreciate your vote on March 8 at Plymouth’s Town Elections. He and his wife, Denise, are long-time Plymouth residents, and they’ve
raised their four children in the house they built 22 years ago in Plymouth. Bill retired from state govern- ment after a 30-year career that ranged from being the Assistant Director of the Public Health Labora- tories, the Chief of the staff that supported the state’s Health Services Planning and Review Board, and the State Registrar and Director, Division of Vital Records Administration under the Secretary of State. After his retirement in 2008, he became an at-home software implementation manager, working with all 57 states and territories to install a national software suite that collected and reported Vital Records data.
Since his retirement, he’s focused on the Plymouth community and he’s volunteered for several munici- pal boards as well as non-profit organizations. He was elected to Plymouth’s Selectboard in 2013 and is the current Chair. He is also the Chair of the Pemigewasset River Local Advisory Committee, and he’s served on Plymouth’s Planning Board, Conservation Commission, Energy Commission as well as the Boards of several nonprofit organizations. Most recently, he was appointed Executive Director of Transport Central, a local non-profit agency providing rides to the elderly and those with disabilities.
Plymouth’s current Selectboard is focused on economic development along the Tenney Mountain Highway corridor, replacing major components of its infrastructure, and beginning negotiations with the University to seek compensation for services and other benefits that the Town provides the University. His many years of experience with these issues, his desire to continue the work that the Board has started, and his experience and background with the Town and the Plymouth community make him well suited to be re-elected to the Plymouth Selectboard, and he would appreciate your vote.
- William R. Bolton, Jr.
Letter To The Editor
Town meetings are around the corner, and Bristol is gearing up for an interesting election. Several candi- dates are running for a seat on our select board, which, by the way, has been very busy this past year.
I am supporting Bill Dowey as a candidate for the select board for the following reasons:
A 30-year resident, Bill is the current chair of our Bristol Economic Development Committee.
Bill knows how to find outside funding that will keep Bristol’s taxes in check. For him, this is part of doing
the hard work to complete projects that improve the quality of life for all of us in Bristol.
He has helped to bring in over $4 Million in infrastructure improvements for Bristol. These projects include Bristol Falls Park, Cell Phone Tower, Broadband initiative, Solar array for the Library and now the Water and Sewer Department, First Robotics program at Newfound Regional High School, and funding
for COVID business relief here in Bristol. Bill understands that the best
way forward for all of us is mak- ing improvements in Bristol to better our way of life without overburdening us with taxes. He has the energy as well as the grant writing skills to make this happen.
Voting is Tuesday, March 8, at the Historic Town Hall. You can register to vote at the Town Offices or on election day at the Town Hall.
- Jane Metcalf
Letter To The Editor
My name is Bill Dowey. I am the Chair of Bristol’s success- ful Economic Development Committee. I am a candidate for the Bristol Select Board. I seek your vote on March 8th.
I am not a single-issue candidate. I am running to address the full spectrum of issues and opportunities that confront Bristol. I come to the position with ten years of experience in Bristol’s eco- nomic development. I have taken leading roles in the Bristol Falls Park, creation of our fiber broadband network, town-wide cell phone service, high school robotics, and Bicentennial planning. These projects have been leveraged to bring in over $4m in Bristol infrastructure improvements. I have the experience of achieving external funding to reduce the cost burden on Bristol’s taxpayers.
Among the major issues confronting the next Select Board is the proposed public safety facility to replace the outdated police and fire stations. There are many conditions that place our first responders in unsafe and unpleasant working conditions that can be offset with a compliant facility. Expansion of the sewer system from the lake under the existing 2019 voter approval, needs to be tabled for reevaluation of need, benefit and cost. With our new cell and broadband services, we need a follow-up plan to recruit new businesses to our town to offset the losses in our one major enterprise. The new Select Board will also need to access our hous- ing situation and find ways to make our community attractive to new residents, while maintaining the beautiful rural character of Bristol.
Many of our full time residents live on a fixed income. They cannot endure a substantial increase in property taxes. My experi- ence in obtaining funding from Federal, State and other entities for our Town projects, is confirmation of my ability to serve as your representative on the Select Board.
I would appreciate your vote as a vote of confidence, that this range of issues can be satisfactorily addressed.
I’m ready to hit the ground running. My goal is to use my mu- nicipal and grant funding experience so that we are Together Moving Forward! I am asking for your vote for Select Board.
-William ‘Bill’ Dowey.
Letter To The Editor
I’m writing to introduce myself as a candidate for the Plymouth Elementary School Board in the March 8th town election. I have lived in Plymouth for the past 22 years and am proud to call our town home. I would be honored to be given the opportunity to serve our town in this important position. Over the last 22 years, our school and community have given so much to my child and my family. My daughter is currently enrolled in the fifth grade at PES, and I have had foster children attend PES and PRHS while they lived with us. We are fortunate to have amazing teachers, supportive administrators, and dedicated staff at our elementary school who go above and beyond every day before the pandemic and now are doing even more. Serving our educators and the stu- dents, they support motivates me to seek election in this position.
One of my core values is a commitment to public education. I am grateful for the public education I received from my K-12 teachers and professors at PSC and UNH. I believe in the promise of public education for our society and carry out this value in my profession as a teacher at PSU in the Criminal Justice program. As an educator at PSU, I see firsthand the challenges our young people face today and support the integration of socio-emotional learning into the curriculum, K-12. I also believe that student safety is a top priority, as this creates the foundation from which our children grow.
Thank you for reading my letter and considering supporting me as a candidate for PES school board. Please reach out to me to discuss further if you have questions or would like to support my campaign. My email is stephanie.halter@gmail.com.
- Stephanie Halter
SCHOOL BOARD
Re-elect
WATTO
PES