October 18, 2005
A Republican Break with the Past?
By Ray Celmer

The upcoming election is approaching rapidly and campaigning has begun in earnest on both sides. It is evident and pleasantly surprising that the espoused goals of the Killingworth Republican Town Committee are eerily similar to those already put forth by the Killingworth Democratic Town Committee.

It would seem that after several years of contention and rancor we, as a community, have finally come to consensus on the problems our town faces. Surely this is to the benefit of all the residents of Killingworth.

Obviously the choice for the voter on Election Day is which ticket will deliver on their promise to resolve our problems and show some much needed leadership in defining our future. It is no surprise that both parties claim to be the right choice for the task at hand.

It needs to be pointed out that today‘s problems were yesterday’s future. Newer residents may not know that the Republican Party has held the reins of power in our town for the last 16 years. When one considers where we are it is to be expected that the current Republican campaign has made a concerted effort to separate itself from the current administration. They are wise to do so. Hopefully this is more than political expediency on their part. Hopefully they have learned from their past errors and are sincere in their efforts to correct them.

When they promise government that is open, timely and responsible they know that government in this town has not been these things in recent years. When they promise fiscal responsibility they know, too, that much taxpayer money has been squandered on grandiose projects that were not viable. When they promise “real involvement in the RSD #17 budget process” they are saying that it has not been so in the past 16 years. When they say that the encouragement of volunteerism is one of their major priorities they know that committee findings and recommendations representing hundreds of hours of work have been falling on the deaf ears of the administration that appointed them.

Finally, when they say, as they must, that they possess the required vision, experience and leadership, it is to be hoped that their promises are based on a new beginning for the Republican Party in Killingworth. If, indeed, we as citizens of this community are truly concerned about this town, about education, about preserving our rural character and, yes, about taxes, then a new awareness on the part of the Republican Party is to be applauded. If saving Killingworth from the errors of the past is our common goal then the Killingworth Democratic Town Committee welcomes the town’s Republican Party as partners in that enterprise.

Let us hope that the real winner on November 8 is Killingworth.

( For more about the Killingworth Democratic Town Committee visit our website at www.killingworth.dems.info)