Tuesday, March 18, 2008

This is sad

As I have stated before, I don't write a lot about local politics here. I did, however, post a note last year about this 23-year-old woman and bartender in Manch who ran and surprisingly won a seat on the school board. I think it is cool that young people get involved in politics and I was impressed as everyone that she won.
Well, it has all been downhill from there.
I have not written about her problems - an arrest for unpaid loans, not showing up to meetings, and now, residency and voter registration problems - but now, it has all led to her resignation: ["Peabody resigns her post"].
Frankly, she did the right thing, especially if she no longer lives in the Ward or does not want to talk about her living situation. Which, at this point, could be just about anything. However, long-term, young people can look to this situation with wide open eyes to understand just how important it is to, for lack of a better term, have your sh*t together.
I don't have a problem with her working in a bar or going to night school or any of the choices she made in the past which she says led her to decide to run for the post. We all make bad choices. But outstanding loans which are so bad off that you get arrested for them, as well as not living in the Ward, are just no-nos for public officials. Sure, politicians have done a lot worse while in office and before gaining office [the Juanita Broadderick rape allegations against Bill Clinton are the most glaring example]. But the last thing you want as a young politician is to come across as a flake. It could ruin you. And, if you have enough gumption to run for school board at 23, then we need more and more types of young people like you so we can get a different perspective in some of these political offices.
Look at the world we are in right now. Look at what the older generations have done to our nation. Young people have a responsibility to take on these problems and fix them just as the previous generations attempted to do [with many successes and failures]. It is our future but it is also yours. Seize it - but be prepared and capable of seizing it beforehand.

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