What’s the difference between "FaceTime" and "Facebook?"

This past week, I had a meeting with a leader in our community. We sat and discussed issues and solutions for Stonington for nearly two hours. Since our get-together, I find myself frequently revisiting our conversation, as she made an analogy that truly struck me. “You seem to be more of a ‘FaceTime’ person, not a ‘Facebook’ person,” she said. I understand that both have their place in today’s world and I appreciate the value of each, but it was interesting to be described as a “FaceTime” person. I laughed, because in reality, I would completely agree.

It was around April that we, as a family, decided I needed to explore the opportunity of running for First Selectman, and I set out to make a plan. I started to meet with the people of Stonington, one-on-one and in small groups. The information I learned from these meetings was invaluable, and what I discovered from them stood out to me.

I learned that many of us are not clear on how the government in Stonington really works. Yes, we have a general idea, but in my meetings many of our residents expressed a need for clarity. One individual even suggested the creation of an organizational chart that visually could explain how the different departments are set up and how they interact with one another. Another resident explained that he was unsure what the various Boards and Commissions in Stonington do; “I would like to be more involved, but I don’t even know where to start,” he told me. The saddest comments of all came from the questioning of why I would want to put my family through the hardship of a campaign.

No wonder more grounded, qualified people don’t run for office.

I am convinced that we need to engage Stonington residents and make them active, participating members of our local government. We need more qualified people who are able to enter the arena of public office, at least for a season of their lives. However, with confusion surrounding town government operations and interactions, I don’t blame those qualified and interested candidates who choose to instead stay quiet.

If elected First Selectman, it is my hope to break down these walls of misperceptions and unasked questions and create an open conversation with our residents. We need to actively recruit and actually ask people to step forward and offer their opinions and thoughts, serving on our Boards and Commissions. We need to get our residents excited about town government, answering any questions they may have and personally inviting them to attend our meetings.

There are just a little over seven weeks until November 5th. I will continue to post my thoughts through Stonington Patch and on my Facebook page, Go With Glee. But, more importantly, I will continue to reach out to as many of you as I can, going door-to-door, attending various functions and events, and continuing to have meetings over coffee. While social media and Facebook are wonderful tools of mass communication, to me, they don’t hold a candle to the value of “FaceTime” and actually shaking someone’s hand.

Warmly,

Glee