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A Well-Handled Process

A recent article in the Harbor News [March 17, “This Police Boat Floats”] regarding the new Town of Old Saybrook Marine Patrol boat and the vote that took place at the corresponding Town Meeting mentioned the vote as “anticlimactic” from the controversy of the previous year and government grant boat. I would hope readers would do a little digging and interpret “anticlimactic” as a positive.

Whether you wanted a bigger boat, smaller boat, or no boat, it was a lesson of a well-handled process to have a very crowded meeting and not a question. It was a process that, ahead of time, was forthright, incorporating various party members, meetings, questions, answers, and suggestions. With the mission and operating budget for the boat discussed openly in several meetings and agreed upon, the decision to purchase an appropriate boat easily followed.

Behind the scenes to this process was two years of Democratic Town Committee input from its issues committee and members. During the election season, these committees worked hard to send candidates into the community with good materials and talking points to “tighten up” town processes. Although Democrats are not yet a majority, there are very talented Democratic elected persons on the Board of Finance, the Police Commission, the Board of Selectmen, and other boards and commissions to diligently ask questions, keep the pressure on, and represent residents. We have heard phrases like “Keep up the good work” from even opposing party members. I personally look forward to a better form of town government while they are in place.

Bill Webb

Old Saybrook