Breanna Neal: Consider appointing a non-candidate for interim mayor

To The Daily Sun,

On the subject of Laconia City Council’s upcoming mayoral appointment, this reader would like to put forth the idea of a lame duck appointment. First, this reader is thrilled to see the number of citizens willing to throw their hats into the ring for the upcoming city election, and appreciate everyone who is willing to step up and offer their time to our city.

City council should not pick from the pool of candidates found on the election ballot. Instead, they should choose someone who is not running. This reader is extremely uncomfortable with city council having so much influence over the local election by picking one candidate for a “trial run” over another. All candidates should be on equal ground when it comes to proving their case to their constituents. Statistically, incumbents have a huge advantage over new candidates, and it would be a disservice to the citizens of Laconia for council to place their thumb on the scales in that fashion.

This reader would ideally choose for a previous mayor to apply for the appointment, but would be content with any lame duck choice if it prioritized preventing procedural hiccups for the remaining months of the term over political leanings.

Let the political arena be where our citizens choose their next leader, fair and square, rather than city council fixing the fight. 

It is understood that this requires someone other than the candidates to apply for this appointment, and one hopes this will encourage people to do so. This would ask for three months of service from someone to avoid two years of a leader that may not be the one Laconia wants.

Breanna Neal

Laconia