To the voters of Manchester,
I urge your support for Chris Olney and Susan Hanson-Philbrick at Tuesday's election. They have the experience and commitment to the strong and respectful culture of volunteerism that is the bedrock of Manchester's government.
Mrs. Furse and Mr. Flood’s promise to vote as a "block" with two sitting members of the board is very disturbing and a form of bullying. Is this progress? Is this the new character of the town I grew up in? I have seen first-hand the time, knowledge, and dedication a volunteer needs to be a member of this board, or any board in town. You can't decide on the merits of special permits and housing policies before they have been studied and citizen's input has been heard.
Good government depends on independent perspectives, discussed respectfully, and decided thoughtfully.
As a former 14-year member of the Select Board, many times I disagreed with fellow board members, but we worked together as a team to come up with a solution we all could vote on either individually or as a board. There was no bullying, shaming and we listened to the expertise of our fellow town volunteers and employees.
Don't let the rancor we see too often elsewhere invade Manchester government.
Vote for Olney and Hanson-Philbrick on Tuesday, May 16.
Mary Hardwick
Manchester
