Susan G. Price: Selectboard chair was victim of take-no-prisoners bullying

To The Daily Sun,

It is a very sad day in Moultonborough with the resignation of BOS Chair Joel Mudgett. Joel has worked tirelessly for our community for years and it is this community’s loss to have him resign at a time when Moultonborough is in need of legacy leadership. Unfortunately, we have some in our community who apparently believe that our friends and neighbors who are willing to step forth to serve in what is, and actually has developed into, a thankless position, should be subject to repeated verbal abuse for their willingness to serve. Evidently, some town residents believe that to serve as a Moultonborough selectman is to also to serve a “punching bag” to endure lowly name calling and insults when the BOS does not bend to their respective will.

Let’s be clear, there is nothing wrong with fiercely and passionately advocating for one’s point of view. Anyone who has seen me advocate for my point of view knows I fit this mold. However; there is something terribly wrong with debasing oneself through name calling, personal attacks and the hurling of insults in support of one’s position.

I have watched Joel, and the other selectmen, endure some of the most insulting behavior that well exceeds advocating for one’s point and more closely resembles bullying more than anything. The one thing bullies all have in common is that they chose to hurl insults instead of ideas because they have actually exhausted, or perhaps never had, constructive ideas and lack the means to develop and communicate their point of view absent insulting behavior.

It is not only a sad day in Moultonborough, but I am personally grieving for our community in which what appears to be a growing number of people who think this is an episode of take-no-prisoners “Game of Thrones” instead of a community that can agree to disagree but ultimately arrive a solutions that are mindful and respectful of all parties, even though every party recognizes that they will not get exactly want they want. And “yes” there will always be the “my ice cream is too cold” and “it’s my way or the highway” people but those people will unfortunately exist in every community, not just Moultonborough, and rarely, if ever, do such people make good stewards of their communities.

Being mindful of all of the above, I am calling on Joel Mudgett to rescind his resignation from the BOS. And I am further calling on the four remaining selectmen to accept his withdrawal and return him to the board.

Lastly, I hope and pray that Joel knows that I, and many other Moultonborough residents, respect and value his abilities as a selectman and that he will always be thought of in a positive light by residents who share my perspective.

Susan G. Price

Moultonborough