Submitted by: Melissa Smith
Megan Buhr is running for Moderator because she wants to improve town governance by engaging all kinds of Hinghamites, which we need. Schools are falling down. Town properties need attention. For too long, we have neglected issues, and I believe it’s because we don’t have enough diversity on our appointed committees.
Town Meeting is the most visible role of our Moderator, but they job extends far beyond that. Our Moderator appoints a great many of the committee members who run the town. To my knowledge, current appointees are all good people, but they come from very similar walks of life. For instance, all 15 members of the Advisory Committee, which oversees the whole town budget including Schools, are appointed by the Moderator exclusively. Right now, only 4 of them are under the age of 50. Only 2 of the 15 live in the Foster School District. 7 live in Plymouth River, and 3 each in the other two school zones.
A more diverse body means our town's challenges are known to those chosen to wrestle them. A broken fire station may not come to the attention of someone who isn't interacting regularly with firefighters. Someone who hasn't lately pushed a stroller or a wheelchair might not have any clue how limited certain populations are by cracks in the sidewalk or snowbanks created by town plowing. Leaky school ceilings might not be recognized as a real obstacle to education by those not on the soccer field every week with parents of kids in those classrooms.
Improving diversity on our appointed committees means bringing people to the table who are police, teachers, nurses, waitstaff, plumbers, electricians, builders, shopclerks, counselors, social workers, parents, single people, renters, college kids, new residents of all walks of life, including seniors who move here to retire more often than we might think. It means including people of all ages, as young as high school, perhaps for appointment to temporary committees, which would serve as valuable experience for them, and grant us all insight into how Hingham works for our youth. It means bringing together the artists, homemakers, farmers, photographers, writers, and craftspeople with whom we are so lucky to share this town, and benefit from their expertise and their reach into parts of our community we might not otherwise know. Hingham is regarded as a wealthy town, but there is real poverty here, too. Are their voices heard at Town Hall?
As a candidate for Moderator, Megan is committed to reaching out to a wide variety of backgrounds and perspectives. She will call on PTOs, unions, social clubs, religious institutions, civic organizations, hobbyist groups, and others to drum up volunteers. Nothing so exciting has been attempted in Hingham before. I believe Megan will reinvigorate our volunteer corps through stronger social media outreach and public, in-person engagements with the community. Megan will bring new life to town governance. It's time for a new energy. It's time for Megan Buhr to be our Town Moderator.
Submitted by: Melissa Smith