Reuben Bassett: Concerns about tone Strang would bring to Gilmanton leadership

To The Daily Sun,

I am concerned with the current rhetoric coming from Selectboard candidate David Strang. Last week, Strang acknowledged a current inflation rate of 7%, and then asked why taxes are being raised. As a business owner navigating the challenges of inflation, I understand that cost increases are inevitable. The town is not immune to these challenges. Can we expect to keep salaries competitive and to continue providing necessary town services without raising taxes to account for inflation?

As residents of a small New Hampshire town, we can intimately participate in the process of how money is budgeted and spent. We elect a selectboard to manage our town, and then have the privilege to show up to meetings, to ask questions, to have conversations with town leaders, to research proposals, and then to vote on how we want to spend our tax dollars. So if the accusation is “out of control spending,” then we, the citizens, are to be blamed. If you don’t trust the leaders when they say they need a vehicle, then show up, ask questions, listen, and then vote.

My concern with Strang is not with the lack of understanding about how inflation should affect a town budget or with his claims regarding our town's spending. Strang brings up issues that are worth discussing and debating. My concern lies with the tone that he would bring to our town leadership, one that encourages division and dissent. We are seeing this type of divisive leadership from our county delegation and how it has affected the Gunstock Commission with the contentious way that Dr. Strang was appointed. The county delegates that he has associated himself with have shown that they are only interested in representing people who think like them. It is easy in the times of deep political disagreement on a national level to bring that rhetoric down to our county and town level, but it is not productive or helpful in bringing people together or moving a community forward.

I would challenge my fellow citizens to do what Strang thinks few of us will do, and look at the voter guide to better understand what is being proposed. Call a selectperson or stop by the town offices to get further clarification if something appears to be “out of control.” If you read a claim that seems unreasonable, then vet that claim before believing the underlying assumption that our town leaders and employees are trying to hoodwink us. You should know and care about where your tax money is going. I too want lower taxes, but I also want a good school, well-maintained roads, and a fire truck that shows up when I need it. Those things cost money.

The selectpeople I have talked to are not proponents of high taxes and out of control spending, but are fiscally conservative citizens who are giving their time with the goal of responsibly managing our town.

Reuben Bassett

Gilmanton