Publisher's note: A government for everyone

The voters of Belknap County have given their elected representatives something they haven't had in a long time: an evenly divided delegation.

Republicans entered last week's election with a commanding majority. Now Democrats and Republicans hold nine seats apiece.

We hope both parties recognize the opportunity.

There will be those who refuse to accept the results, who look for evidence of a stolen election rather than consider why voters changed their minds. And there will be those who see the Democratic victories as a mandate to sweep aside conservative ideas and impose their own agenda.

Neither response will serve our community.

An election settles who holds office. It does not settle every argument about how we should govern. Nor does victory give one party a monopoly on good ideas.

New Hampshire has a long tradition of independent thinking, citizen government and practical compromise. Our best public servants have understood that their job is not to defeat their neighbors but to represent them.

We have drifted away from that tradition.

Too often, cooperation is treated as surrender. Compromise is called weakness. Elected officials are rewarded for fighting the other party rather than solving problems. And ordinary citizens are asked to choose sides in arguments that have little to do with their daily lives.

But the people of Belknap County still share far more than our politics would suggest.

We want good schools, safe neighborhoods, affordable homes, responsible spending and a strong local economy. We may disagree sharply about how to achieve these things. That is what representative government is for.

The answer is not to abandon our principles. It is to recognize that our neighbors have principles, too.

A divided delegation will require Republicans and Democrats to listen to one another, find common ground and accept that neither side can always get its way. That is not a failure of democracy. It is democracy doing its work.

Early in my career, I served at Voice of America during the Reagan administration. I learned that democracy depends on more than elections. It depends on respect for the truth, a willingness to hear opposing views and the understanding that political opponents are not enemies. Those lessons have stayed with me through more than four decades in journalism.

They also shape what I believe a community newspaper should be.

We recently published an editorial titled "A newspaper for everyone," explaining our commitment to giving people with different views a place in these pages.

Today, we offer a companion thought: We need a government for everyone.

The Laconia Daily Sun serves Republicans, Democrats, independents and people who have had enough of politics altogether. Our responsibility is to report the news fairly, question those in power, give people with different views a chance to be heard and help our readers understand the community we share.

Our elected representatives have a similar responsibility. They serve everyone, not just those who voted for them.

That doesn't mean every opinion deserves equal weight or every claim deserves to be believed. Facts matter. Honesty matters. So does the willingness to listen.

We will continue to hold public officials accountable, regardless of party. We will also look for examples of people working together, because cooperation deserves as much attention as conflict.

The election is over. There is no need for gloating, and no use in making excuses.

The work of governing begins again.

We have a chance to rebuild the center of our civic life, not by asking anyone to give up what they believe, but by remembering what we owe one another.

That is not a new political idea.

It is an old American tradition, and a particularly good New Hampshire one.

•••

Before cofounding The Daily Sun Newspapers in 1989, Publisher Adam Hirshan was a writer and editor at Voice of America, where he produced balanced current affairs programming on national and international issues and features on American life.