And the Winner is Charlestown

As I sit back and ponder the results of November 4th 2008 elections at the local level in Charlestown, I am filed with both happiness and hope. As one of many volunteers who worked in support of the CCA endorsed candidates for Town Council and Planning Commission, I share the happiness of the candidates who were successful in their campaigns. However, I believe the real winners in this year’s local election were the citizens of Charlestown.

Since the November 4th 2006 elections, the Town of Charlestown has had to endure a very dysfunctional town council and government situation. The problems faced by Charlestown have been well documented in newspaper stories, editorials, and television news reports. For citizens who cared about open and good government, the image of the town, and wanted to see public policy that reflected the will of the people and not special interests this was a painful two years.

The election results reflect five new Town Councilors, four new Planning Commission members, passage of all eight charter review proposed changes, and passage of 2 of the 3 Chariho school bond issues. The overall vote for these 9 winning candidates and for each of the other issues was overwhelming with an average percentage of 66% and in some cases even higher. The message sent by the voters of Charlestown was very clear, they want change and a fresh start.

My hope for the Town of Charlestown is that the newly elected Town Council can set the tone for a return to open and good government. We are all hoping for a government where officials treat each other and its citizens with respect and civility. I think that it is important that the new Town Council reach out to its citizens and let them know how important citizen contributions are in helping the government run effectively and efficiently. Also, I hope the citizens who resigned from various town commissions because of unfair criticism and lack of support will come back and once again serve the town.

My final hope is that CCA in the next two years gets to report on positive news stories out of Town Hall reflecting the public policy achievements for the new Council, the Commissions, town employees, and our citizen volunteers.

Sincerely,

Daniel Slattery, President
Charlestown Citizens Alliance

Previous years President's Message - 2007