Let’s work together for Canton
By GuestDear Editor:
I appreciate Richard Collette taking the time to write regarding civic participation in Canton. I share the widely held respect for Mr. Collette’s dedicated service over the years. While his April 24 letter mentions my involvement with the successful ‘Move the Vote’ petition, it more importantly raises questions about poll worker participation.
Many engaged citizens, myself included, have faced hurdles when attempting to serve as poll workers. After hearing concerns about poll worker shortages, I completed the extensive application process, including training, only to be turned away shortly before Election Day due to an unrelated candidate endorsement. Others have encountered similar obstacles due to various forms of civic engagement. While respecting the town clerk’s management prerogative, these experiences highlight a potential challenge: are we inadvertently sidelining passionate community members from participating fully? Perhaps it’s time to collaboratively re-examine our recruitment and qualification processes to ensure that they are clear, consistently applied, and memorialized in writing. Our mission should be to encourage, rather than discourage, participation.
The central issue now is the clear mandate from Canton voters regarding the timing of our town election. The ‘Move the Vote’ initiative garnered 2,369 signatures, the largest voter petition drive in our town’s history. Furthermore, the subsequent non-binding ballot question passed overwhelmingly on April 8 (3,081-1,540). There simply is no better way to gauge broad community support for critical initiatives than at the ballot box. And ‘Move the Vote’ clearly did so.
The people of Canton have spoken decisively. Rather than continuing to debate the merits or fighting against this tide of overwhelming town support, our focus should now shift to implementation. We all face challenges in adapting to change, but the task before us is to work constructively together to overcome any difficulties and enact the will of the people.
Engaging in personal critiques, direct or indirect, serves little purpose compared to the productive work of “rowing together.” Let’s channel our shared commitment to Canton into finding the best ways to make this voter-driven change a success. By collaborating positively, we not only achieve what the community desires but also strengthen the democratic fabric of our town. Let’s unite to increase participation and move Canton forward, together.
Sincerely,
Lisa Lopez
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=131662
Posted by Guest
on May 2 2025. Filed under Featured Content, From One Citizen to Another, Opinion.
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