Michael Chambers: In Praise Of Former Town Officials

The following letter was published in local newspapers and is shared with us here by the author Michael Chambers. Michael is a former member of the Charlestown Zoning Board of Review.

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With the swearing in of the new Town Council in Charlestown last week, I took the opportunity to review the accomplishments of those public servants who have moved on to other pursuits in life. The Town of Charlestown has been fortunate in that over the past 10 years the residents and taxpayers have enjoyed a well-run government through its elected officials and through its town hall staff. They may not please all the people all the time, but they most assuredly please most of the people almost all of the time. In this political climate, that is a lot to say about any group of people.

However, for the more recent past, I especially thank Virginia Lee for her unflagging efforts to ward off threats to our citizens’ way of life, her devotion to the overall health and welfare of her constituents, and her focus on the future of our town. I want to thank Julie Carroccia for her support of programs that benefit the economic health of the town through initiatives such as the Solarize Charlestown program and improvements to the town budget. I thank David Wilkinson for spearheading the rollback of the tax rate after listening to the desires of the townspeople during the last budget hearings. All three have done much for this town in a short time.

Finally, I want to recognize Gordon Foer for his dedication to the Comprehensive Plan and his deep understanding of what it means to implement a plan that benefits all of the residents of this town. He has served many years on the Planning Commission and deserves our thanks.