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Here we are in the last days of the Sudbury election season. I cringe and grow fatigued when, on social media, I read
- claims of mismanagement – invented out of whole cloth, ignoring facts shared transparently and repeatedly
- sinister interpretations of town employees’ retirements or career moves
- fabricated stories of issues ignored, when in fact they are issues addressed or under consideration for action by elected, appointed, and professional public servants
- false claims of achievements that were, in fact, accomplished by others
Distorted information and falsehoods are rife nationally. We have our own homegrown brand of the same in Sudbury. But all is not lost. We voters can use our critical thinking – our common sense – our excrement detectors to recognize claims that are suspect. We can be wary of over-grand claims without verifiable details. We can be wary of vague or explicit accusations or predictions, without confirmed data.
Alas, Kevin Matthews, candidate for Select Board, for example, has posted misleading information about the Select Board’s priority goal for vocational education. In presenting his points he omitted any information about the work that has been done already by the Select Board to gather information, establish relationships, and seek membership. That creates the false impression that the Select Board has so far neglected this important issue. Not true.
More recently Mr. Matthews made a dark allegation about our prior Town manager claiming, “Unfortunately, he was quickly run out of town by the Select Board, and we, the taxpayers, were left paying for his silence by paying his salary for at least a year after he left.” Was Mr. Matthews present at the Executive Sessions at which these confidential personnel matters were discussed and decided? Is it possible that the prior Town Manager resigned voluntarily, for his own reasons? Could he have received a severance package in line with such a resignation? Without verifiable facts on this or any other issue, circulating negative narratives about it is just spurious gossip seemingly intended to stir up unwarranted discontent.
Misinformation like this undermines public trust and distracts from the real issues facing our town. With that said, here is my point:
When you vote for Lisa Kouchakdjian and Radha Gargeya for Select Board, you will be putting two people to work for you who
- will always tell you true facts
- will seek your viewpoint on important town issues to add to the discussion in pursuit of the best solutions for the entire community, not for a sub-group or section of town
- will listen to you with a genuine attempt to grasp your perspective
- will treat all residents and colleagues with sincere respect
- will be open and transparent about their positions and reasoning behind those positions
- will use a deeply compassionate approach as they work with the Select Board, the administration, and the many committees who serve us to seek the best balance for using our resources to provide the infrastructure, programs, and services we need and want as a community.
These things I know from keenly observing their past work and their behavior during this campaign. We need to elect leaders who will be open, honest and transparent with us. We cannot trust someone who has pushed disinformation to the community like Mr. Matthews. Lisa and Radha are the experienced, dedicated and accomplished leaders we need at this important time in our history.
Please join me in voting for Lisa Kouchakdjian and Radha Gargeya for Select Board on March 31st.