BE Van Derven: Brown brings balanced leadership to Bristol Selectboard

To The Daily Sun,

"A critical skill in governing is the ability to listen. Be reasonable — committed to providing municipal services to Bristol's townspeople at an affordable cost, keeping taxes down and stable. Acknowledging different viewpoints — fully, fairly and respectfully — and building consensus, we can achieve great things for our citizens, and visitors to our community, alike."

These plain spoken words of Carroll Brown Jr. convinced me he's the best candidate for service on Bristol's Selectboard. Everyone who knows Carroll sees him as a thoughtful person dedicated to the betterment of our community. Carroll's balanced approach, welcoming the perspectives of longtime residents, business owners and seasonal visitors alike, makes him a strong candidate as we usher in the coming years of change.

With increasing frequency it seems, the candidate pool includes those who recently landed in Bristol from elsewhere, some with preconceived opinions of how to "fix" Bristol; however they did things where they came from, importing cookie-cutter solutions isn't how decisions are made in our historic, rural, lakeside community: listening to constituents, encouraging broad citizen involvement and charting the future based on local perspectives is.

Carroll's welcoming and inclusive approach are in stark contrast to that of another candidate for selectboard, Mr. Randall Kelley, formerly of Rockingham County. Mr. Kelley touts his experiences in Derry as reason to support his bid for the selectboard; he's bemused over why little Bristol — a tenth the size of Derry — has been unable to accomplish what he did in New Hampshire's fourth most populous urban center over a decade ago. The answer is simple: Bristol isn't Derry; one size doesn't fit all.

While Brown sees the role of selectperson as requiring patient listening, and respect, for those who do not share his viewpoint, Kelley's words reflect a different opinion about an elected official's obligation to answer constituent's questions. Said Kelley recently: "effective politicians don't concern themselves with the likes of folks such as yourself who don't even understand what they are debating and think the elected [sic] they are conflicting with should educate them on all they are without knowledge. That's not my job..."

The last thing Bristol needs are flat land solutions offered by wanna-be politicians who derogate others' opinions and the legitimate need for a fully informed public. Carroll Brown Jr. stands for the opposite: full dissemination of public information, local solutions forged from the collective viewpoints of many and, most importantly, respect for "the likes" of all those who call Bristol home. I urge Bristol voters to give Carroll their trust, and their votes, on March 8. Let's keep Bristol, Bristol.

B.E. Van Derven

Bristol