Barbara Turpin
&
John Bishop
For Town Board
The Waterford Democratic Committee is excited to announce that for the first time since 2009, two outstanding public-service driven candidates have come forward to stand for election as Town Board Members in the November 2, 2021 election.
In John Bishop and Barb Turpin, Waterfordians will once again have a choice to elect somebody who is not a long-standing member of the closed “Good Ol' Boys Club” that has ruled Waterford without opposition, question, or contention for decades.
As a point of clarification, those of us on the Democratic Committee are moderate by any measure in our political beliefs and preferences. But we know that in reality, neither affiliations with a national party, nor opinions about most national political issues are particularly relevant to governance of a small community like ours. In fact, there are no “Democratic” or “Republican” problems facing the governance and management of Waterford. Yes, as the banner on our webpage proudly proclaims, we are Democrats. But our disagreements with the town board and its unified block of members have nothing to do with them being “Republicans.”
Rather, it's because for decades our Town Board members – to include Laurie Marble and Jim Boudreau, the incumbents seeking reelection – have acted in lockstep, without any challenges or other voices to question what they do. And with never even any disagreement with the supervisor or other members. We believe the vast majority of Waterfordians understand that the town board now in place is an unapproachable institution that has gone decades without any infusion of new ideas … or for that matter, without a single contested vote at a Town Board Meeting.
Is it credible there has never been a single disagreement among “the Club” for who knows HOW MANY YEARS?
And that is what we seek to change. Because we need somebody who will stand up to Waterford's elite policymakers, somebody who will look the supervisor and their fellow members in the eye and say, “I Disagree.” And will inform citizens when questionable decisions are on the table before the board meets and engraves decisions in stone. Is that an unreasonable expectation?
In the end, all of us in Waterdford, of whatever party, want and expect the same things for our community. We want:
- basic honesty and integrity in all official duties and dealings
- minimization of risks from threats to the community, whether from flood, pandemic, crime, or any other unreasonable disruptions
- careful planning for the public good
- conservative and frugal fiscal management
- responsible oversight of Town Board responsibilities
- a high level of responsiveness to the inquiries and needs of Waterford residents
The fundamental foundation to the successful execution of all these basic requirements for good government is clear communication. We believe there should be regular Town Board-initiated opportunities for citizens to engage in comfortable and signficant dialogue, and that the current Town administration has been sadly lacking in this respect for many years. Currently, very few Waterfordians have a clue as to what issues the Town Board is silently litigating behind closed doors, because the Town Board virtually never reaches out to the regular voters to solicit input on upcoming decisions; nor does it report what has been decided (unless it's a tax increase, in which case home owners surely hear about it after the fact!).
The only option for the average citizen to make her or his opinion known is the extremely intimidating option to stand up and speak at Town Board Meetings. The few brave souls who have taken that option know that when a public comment is made at a meeting, the Supervisor or another Board Member will rattle off a dismissive pro-forma response. And if an attendee has the temerity to challenge the Board's pre-made decision, the other members are very likely to pile-on to silence and humiliate that person. And we believe that is just plain wrong.
It's an unjust and terrible thing for the property-owners and citizens of Waterford to be frightened to express their opionions and worries to the Town Board. So after decades of Good Ol' Boy Rule, it's time to return Waterford to open and responsive governent.
Barb and John are the right people at the right time to make Waterford Government belong to the people again, and the Democratic Committe of Waterford is proud to endorse and promote them as the best choices for the Town Board in the November 2, 2021, election.