Benton 'Chick' Smith, District A Charter Commission Candidate

My name is Chick Smith and I’m a candidate for the Concord School District Charter Commission.

I have been a resident of Concord since 1973 and my wife Pam and I have been taxpayers for 42 years. My son,Michael, attended Concord schools. Let me tell you a bit about my background. I was an active duty officer in the USAF from 1966 to 1972. After leaving active duty and receiving a Masters Degree in Education from Springfield College, I was hired for a position with the Recreation and Parks Department for the City of Concord. After 4 years, I served as a guidance counselor for 9 years at Merrimack Valley HS. I reentered the military in a post with the New Hampshire Air National Guard first as a part time guardsman and later working in a full time capacity with the organization. I retired in 2003 as the Assistant Adjutant General (rank of Brig General) for the NHANG, an organization of over 1000 airman.

Since that time, I have been involved in a myriad of volunteer activities, mostly within Concord. I’ve been involved in the food pantry at St Paul’s Church, served as an overnight overseer at the homeless shelter at the First Congregational Church. I was a volunteer at Walker School and Rumford School for ten years, was a CASA volunteer and served as a senior mentor in the Concord Friends program for eight years. From 2004 to 2013 I was the golf coach at Concord High School. I have served on the Board of Directors for the NH Veterans Cemetery Association for over 10 years and since my release from the Air Force (2003) have served as an ombudsman for the federal Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Program (ESGR). My role in this activity is to mediate issues with reservists and their civilian employer as it relates to their military duty.

While my only full time experience in education was my tenure as a guidance counselor at Merrimack Valley High School, I have had a number of other hands on experiences with the youth of Concord at both the elementary and high school levels. That coupled with my management experience in the military serves me well as being a viable candidate for this commission. I see the role of this commission to examine the structure of the Concord School District to provide the best possible educational opportunity for each student while always being concerned with financial implications for the citizens of Concord-not an easy balancing act. I know what I don’t know and am willing to ask pertinent questions and make decisions based on good, sound data.

To date, most of my experiences have been at the ground level dealing directly with students and others for the betterment of each. I would like the challenge of dealing with an issue at a more strategic level thus my interest in being part of the Charter Commission. Overall, I feel the current charter is a high quality document. However, it is important to examine it and make appropriate changes to meet the needs of the changing times. I would like to opportunity to be part of the group that does that.

Thank You