My customers educate me on things I don't know & vice versa

To The Daily Sun,

I feel the need to clarify and inform my perspective and experience with respect to the journey of this campaign for City Council.

To begin, I am a 29 year old woman from Ohio, who has served in the U.S. Air Force, doing law enforcement and security work. I have owned and built a successful barbershop that went from serving 8-10 people a day to serving 40-50+ a day in less than five years. I believe you cannot be that successful without a clear goal and the support of wonderful people who share that passion and focus toward that same goal. I was once a stepmother to four amazing children, and dealt with difficult circumstances. I have lived in several different sections of the country, and can see from experience how lucky Laconia is to be largely untouched by some of the struggles that plague other communities. I am grateful for this place, and to call it home. I want nothing more than to see it grow and prosper.

I will not waste my energy on the negative, I prefer to allocate my resources toward the positive. I am running for this office to move forward, to move this city forward. I am in a unique position for a person of my age to be able and qualified to properly execute the duties of this office. I have the luxury of being able to control my schedule to attend meetings in the middle of the day on a Tuesday and meetings that may run until 11 p.m.

I will be very honest with all of you, holding public office was never a goal of mine. I simply feel compelled to run, because in any situation, I was taught if you find a problem or situation where you are able to help, you should help. Don’t wait for someone else to do a job you can do. Most certainly, don’t sit back and complain about something if you’re not willing to put forth the effort to change it. Not just ideas, actions! I’m willing to serve my community in order to make it better. I’m also offering an open mind, because I will rightfully admit that I don’t know everything, but I am willing and eager to learn. I’m eager to listen and to find creative solutions. I want us to get on a track where we can plan for the next 20 years. I want to work hard and a make positive impact, so that when I decide to retire I can be proud that I was one small piece in a wonderful transformation that made Laconia one of the best places to live in New Hampshire.

I am blessed to be in a profession that allows me to talk to citizens of Laconia and surrounding towns on a daily basis. My customers educate me on things I don’t know, and vice versus. I appreciate having such close contact with them, to hear their concerns and to relay information that may not be explained in any other outlet. This blessing coupled with the ease of contact offered by social media and other technology, I believe, would allow me to be very approachable to my constituents. Lastly, I will not solidify my stance on any issue without knowing all the pertinent information on the subject. I am not in the practice of making decisions with only half the story. I am offering logic and reason to solve problems, not agendas or sides of the isle.

Breanna Henderson

Ward 4

Laconia