A Volunteer Steps Up To The Plate

I got a call the other day from one of the many dedicated volunteers in Portsmouth who serve on a local board or committee and who do a great job at making local government work.

Our municipal operation would come to a halt if it were not for the hundreds of citizens who unselfishly dedicate a tremendous amount of hours to assist our community. They serve on our Planning Board, our School Committee, our Zoning Board of Review, our Economic Development Committee, our Open Space Committee or on so many more Boards, Committees and Commissions in Town. They meet week in and week out and conduct the town's business with unselfish dedication. If you know someone who serves on a town board, I hope that you will take the time to thank him/her for their town service the next time you see them.

But back to my phone call from the town volunteer. He said that it was his annual call to the town administrator to ask for more money in next year's budget for his area of concern. He explained what they do and presented an impressive level of detail demonstrating a high level of accountability. He built a compelling case for consideration for what is a relatively modest sum. He is a great advocate and spokesman for his discipline and I wonder how many citizens who benefit from these programs know of his (and others) dedication in their quite, but effective, way.

But he was unaware of the challenges that we presently face. He didn't know we have tens of millions of dollars in financial liabilities that have gone unaddressed. He was unaware that we have allowed our fund balance reserves to be drained to a dangerously low level. He did know (as do, I suspect, every resident) that we haven't always taken care of our roads and infrastructure but thought that someone was addressing the issue. He had read about the issues of financial liability regarding our employee pension and retiree health care issue but assumed that we are no worse off than others in Rhode Island. We ended up talking about these challenges for almost two hours. As a lifelong Portsmouth resident, he had much to offer in terms of helping me learn where we have been.

And to his credit, at the end of our conversation he said, "I get it. We are in tough financial times and the real issue is not whether I can get more money for my effort but more likely that there will be cuts".

And then an extraordinary thing happened. He didn't say that his program was more important than others or that it was the most important of all or that I was being unfair to suggest that the town live within our means. Instead, he offered to help solve our financial mess by volunteering to assist me in educating others about our financial challenge. His only request was that the budget that I present to the Town Council be fair and reasoned in these tough times.

Right before he hung up he said, "John, Portsmouth is a great town. We are in this together."

WOW. He's right!