"Why should I vote for you?"

This was asked of me the other day, and for a moment I stumbled over it, as I had no ready answer. Why should someone vote for me?

I gave it some thought and realized that some folks put a lot of emphasis on what they'll do while in office, and this is where a lot of campaign promises are made - and broken.

The selectmen are a team of five people who must work together to represent the interests of the town, so if you run a race or go into office thinking that you are going to accomplish something specific, you'll be sadly disappointed. It is a team effort, so you have to be able to work with people in order to accomplish things.

On the other hand, you have to be willing to stand up and speak out. Working with others doesn't mean being a sheep, and some folks have expressed concerns about the independence of current (and potential future) members of the board of selectmen.

In both respects - working with others and indepenence - I've proven myself. I've been a member of the conservation commission for more than three years now, and was a key part of the Falmouth Bog Preservation Group and the efforts to save our bogs.

Regarding independence, there's no doubt that I speak out. For example, I was the only person to stand up and question the public benefit of publicly funding the New Silver Beach septic plant when it was voted at town meeting last fall.

Why else should you vote for me? Consider the words of some friends and acquaintances...

"You're one of the most honest people I know."
"He's a very intelligent guy."
"You've got integrity."
"Brent would make a good selectman; he's a good listener."
"He has no agenda."

An independent voice with an established track record of working with others. Honesty, intelligence, integrity, a good listener, no personal agenda. Some very good reasons to vote for me.

We CAN do better.