To the Editor,
This spring will mark the end of my third term on the Board of Selectmen. I’ve made the decision not to run for a fourth term, and I wanted to give the public some reasonable notice, and take the opportunity to make a few comments.
For what will be nine years in May, I have had the privilege and pleasure of having worked with dedicated staff and volunteers who work tirelessly and faithfully for the town. It was the character and dedication of those people that originally drove me to run for the board, and I’ve never regretted that decision. Nine years may seem like a long time to some—lord knows it feels long to me—but for all the long meetings I’ve been in, and countless hours spent in between in preparation, research and other activity, that effort still pales compared to a number of volunteers in town. There are several who sit on multiple boards and/or committees who put in easily as much time as the Selectboard members, and have done so year after year for far longer than my nine years. Our town is incredibly fortunate having people of their caliber serve and I hope that residents understand how hard these volunteers are working.
I had a fair idea going into this job about the complexity of municipal government. That understanding has deepened considerably over the years. It has been said that governments operate at a glacial pace. That’s obviously not universally true - some things get done quickly - but many things take much longer than one might expect or hope because of the combination of state and federal laws and requirements, the timing of budget seasons, and a slew of other dependencies. It can be a frustrating process at times. Anyone going into this job should be aware of this, and be prepared to see any plans they might have, take a long time to come to fruition, possibly longer than they are actually in office. You should be prepared to think around timelines of 1, 5, 10, 20 and 30 years, and occasionally 50 years. My advice would be: let the water run off the feathers on your back, keep paddling like hell, and things will be okay.
The longer you are in office, the more opportunities you have to do things people like and to do things people do not like, eventually getting around to hitting pretty much everyone with a little of both. On balance I hope that I’ve served folks well, and I’m grateful for the trust that you have placed in me these past years.
Eli Boling
Manchester
