Richard (Dick) Tracy: Mayoral debate helpful for a new voter to the city

To The Daily Sun,

I am new to Laconia and attended Wednesday’s mayoral debate. A few observations:

A sign posted at the end of Oak St. and another at the end of McGrath would have helped me find the place.

The sound quality from most microphones was erratic to poor. I could hear both the moderator and the incumbent just fine, but nobody else. This was a big advantage to the incumbent. All other voices — those of the challenger and the panelists — did not come across nearly as well. Many questions had to be restated by the moderator. There must be a way to ensure better sound quality.

Some of the questions from the audience which were chosen by the moderator were redundant. The question and answer period began with a question from a middle school student about education and there were eventually three or four more questions about education, all of which had essentially the same content to which there were essentially the same answers. Two or three questions dealt with the matter of homelessness to which the answers were essentially the same each time. For some reason a question I submitted about crack houses — what’s the plan? — was not deemed worthy of being presented to the candidates.

I felt that a few questions from the panelists had a “gotcha” quality which contributed little to this voter’s understanding of the issues confronting the city. One question had a lead-in about something in Illinois, and another about nuance regarding a bill that the challenger co-sponsored in her role as a representative in Concord. Such questions may have had a point, but in my view neither was very helpful.

I learned from the incumbent that the mayor’s position is largely ceremonial, i.e., that there is little or no decision-making authority. Is that true? Many questions seemed to imply the belief that the mayor actually has some real power.

I was impressed by the turnout and the apparent citizen concern for their city. I think I am going to like living here!

Richard (Dick) Tracy

Laconia