To the editor:
I am writing to express my strong support for the re-election of MaryEllen Fletcher to the Select Board.
I respect all five of our Select Board members. Serving as a Select Board member is an enormous commitment of time, physical and mental energy. It is important to acknowledge that it is not possible that five people are ever going to agree on every issue. Consensus building is hard. Is there conflict on occasion? Of course, their perspectives and background knowledge may differ, and with five different personalities, five varying viewpoints. Unlike the chaos we see daily on a national level, I believe that each of them is dedicated to working together to do the best they can for our town.
As an elected official I have served on boards and committees in our town over the past 20+ years and I am aware of how difficult decision making and consensus building can be. I know that when you are an elected member of a public body serving with any decision-making authority it would be ideal if every decision left every resident completely satisfied, but that rarely (if ever) happens.
As a voter, I want to elect a Select Board member I can trust when faced with complex issues. I want someone who will listen to everyone who is impacted, gain all the facts surrounding an issue, understand the financial implications for the town, respect patterns of growth and development in our town while looking to future needs, and balance this to make the best decision possible for as many people as possible. It takes wisdom, patience, and the courage not to approach these issues with a predetermined agenda that blocks out other voices and limits potential outcomes.
As a voter, I don’t need a Select Board member to parrot my own ideas back to me, but I do want someone who is honest, who is strong enough to be flexible, able to change their mind when the facts and the best interest of the residents warrant it. I want someone who can face confrontations with calmness and dignity. I want someone I can trust.
I trust MaryEllen Fletcher. She is intelligent, she listens more than she speaks, she digs for information to fill out all corners of an issue. She questions everything and everyone to deepen her understanding of an issue.
I trust MaryEllen to not cave in to the agenda of others when she believes that the concerns of every resident have not been considered.
I trust MaryEllen to have the courage to face the scrutiny and criticism of those who disagree with her and to put the Town’s interests first.
I trust that MaryEllen honors and respects the authority and responsibility incumbent upon Select Board members and will always try to represent each of us to the best of her ability.
I urge you to vote to re-elect MaryEllen Fletcher to the Select Board on April 29.
Angela Ippolito
Swampscott
