Sudbury is a town in transition, in turmoil, a model of utopia, or at a crossroad depending on your own personal experience. These differing experiences are inspiring many hard-working and well-intentioned residents to take the time to voice their opinions about the state of affairs in our schools and on our boards, or to announce their candidacy for a position in town government.
The hurdles Sudbury faces as the community strives to find the best way forward are significant. Finding a balance between costs and revenues will continue to be a challenge, questions about how best to preserve or use land will likely become more difficult to answer and delivering the best possible education to our children remains a top priority for many. But regardless of how daunting or seemingly insurmountable these challenges are, one thing is for certain - they will require a collaborative and collective effort to overcome. An effort that would be best served with more than a dash of civility.
Our neighbors looking to serve on our local boards and those that already do are often committing a tremendous amount of personal time and effort. While we may strongly disagree with their actions or decisions, it behooves us to ask the lucid and pertinent questions. More importantly, we must ask those questions in a way that serves to further the debate.
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My experience in Sudbury has been an exceptionally good one. My children genuinely love their teachers and their schools. My better half has what she calls a "dream job" teaching at Curtis. And I personally relish the abundance of conservation trails within such a short distance from home. Our family genuinely cares for our neighbors and believe that even if we disagree, we are still always ready lend a hand when needed.
There is so much that Sudbury has to offer. That is what has attracted families with a wide breadth of experiences and opinions, and what has kept families here for generations. Let's take this diversity and put it to good use by asking questions of our candidates and our elected officials that further the debate in a civil and helpful way. In the long run, this will better us all - citizens, candidates, elected officials, and our community as a whole.
