John Amport

As a former Republican Town Committee Chairman, I can tell you this is every year’s biggest challenge. I believe people volunteer to serve if they become interested in what is going on in a particular arena. We have a real problem in Killingworth. Other than The Source newspaper and KillingworthToday.com, there are no real media outlets to supply information on the goings on in Killingworth.

The Source provides no governmental news coverage at all. Other out of town papers provide some limited coverage but have very spotty circulation in Town.
KillingworthToday does a good job of trying to cover a variety of subject areas but has limited resources. A forum like this is a good start.

We need to find ways to increase citizen awareness of what their government is doing. I have long advocated a Town web-site as a source of information and automation of Town services. This site needs to clearly delineate what the committee does, how many meetings it has and what additional time commitments may be necessary. I will make the implementation of a Town Web-site a priority if I am elected.

Two years ago Marty and I participated in a live debate that was taped (By the RSD 17 A/V Department) and played on Public Access. We felt it could be very helpful in providing information to our residents. As readers of KillingworthToday know, this year we asked the Democrats and Republicans in August if they would participate. Then in early October we told the KWO that we wanted to have a debate and asked them if they would be interested in sponsor it. They did. Again, there will be no debate because the Republicans and Democrats would not agree.

It is kind of "political maneuvering" that makes the job of the KRTC and KDTC ever more difficult. People do not want to play politics when it comes to their own community.

Marty has been able to get new volunteers by doing what Marty does best; taking the bull by the horns and soliciting volunteers directly. I have had the pleasure of helping him with some of those efforts.

Let me give you a specific example of this from a recent E-Mail I received from Bruce Dodson regarding the Killingworth Open Space Committee.

"During the previous administration there were only two token members: Dave Gumbart and me. We never met. There was no point. The activities of the KOSC were handled, unofficially, within the Land Trust. . . When Marty took office he wanted to know what we were doing, when we were going to make recommendations he could act on, wanted a list of prospective new members he could take to the BOS for appointment, called several of us on the phone and to his office to discuss specific properties, and has made more phone calls to me than I could remember. And he calls me almost monthly to make sure I'm keeping an open dialogue with the Venutis."

If the Town Committees can not fulfill their role of soliciting volunteers Marty and I will.