Mark Hinkley: CCA Has Tamed Town’s Political Circus
The following letter was submitted to local newspapers and is reprinted here with permission of the author Mark Hinkley. Mark is a DJ on WRIU Radio and a Charlestown musician.
While the news and television advertisements are focused on our national and state elections, I find that my quality of daily life in Charlestown is most affected by the type of candidates elected to local office. Fortunately, the Charlestown Town Council circus that once made Charlestown the political laughing stock of the state has dramatically changed for the better.
The change began when the Charlestown Citizens Alliance, a political action committee for good government, began to sponsor independent candidates for elected office. There is a common theme among the alliance candidates who continue to be elected to office. They have had outstanding professional careers often in executive or management positions that align very well with the responsibilities to run an effective local government. They often have prior public service and outstanding educational credentials but their success and effectiveness is not based only on credentials. These candidates have succeeded in public office because they produce public policies that work for the majority of Charlestown residents and focus on the general well being of the public.
When Charlestown Citizens Alliance officials are considering a Town Council vote on a public policy they are well prepared and have done their research. They make decisions not on special interest politics but rather on fact and merit and what works best for the majority of residents. They have a long list of accomplishments in such areas as protecting the environment, tax control, listening to citizens concerns, improving affordable housing, budget initiatives to increase funding for Ninigret Park, and maintaining the quality of life in Charlestown.
This election, I urge you to cast your vote for the Charlestown Citizens Alliance candidates, who I believe will maintain and improve the outstanding government and community responsiveness that has been built over the last decade.
Mark Hinkley
November 1, 2018 @ 6:35 am
Right on. Divisive politics drains our energies. Energies better put to use keeping Charlestown a safe, quiet pleasant place to live. Although those divisive years motivated more citizens to become involved, which produced the CCA to combat it, most people would prefer an effective government working quietly for them so they can get on with their lives. However that breeds complacency and not knowing what the truth of some matters are, and leaves them open to misinformation as is happening in national and local politics now. Come forth with your issues in an open way, not cloaked in vagueness and the CCA candidates will listen. Not everything can be accommodated but you will be heard and considered.