Cathy Iino

One of the unexpected pleasures of this campaign, for me, has been discovering how many Killingworthies generously give their time to an amazing range of endeavors. I have met a volunteer child advocate, a volunteer hospice worker, volunteer ambulance and fire crews, volunteer land stewards and library staff, church wardens and foster parents. Killingworth has a reputation as a place where people keep very much to themselves, but my experience has shown me the other side of the picture.

Why, then, are we having a hard time recruiting volunteers for town committees?

One reason seems to me to be an atmosphere of disrespect and rancor, of frustration and futility, at town hall. As selectman, I will work hard to create a shared sense of purpose for all town committees; I will take their proposals seriously; and I will try to make sure that their efforts are not wasted.

A more basic reason, I believe, is that we have lost sight of government as public service. When we use politics as a dirty word and call government the enemy, is it any wonder that people do not want to be part of it? If we can change that view of government—if we can remind people that government is a way of acting together for the common good—then I believe our townspeople will not hesitate to serve where they are needed. I hope I can show people, by words and by actions, that government can be a positive and productive force in our community.