Rocking the boat

The slogan I used for my campaign last year was, "We can do better."

It's one of those messages that can be read two ways. On the one hand, "We can do better" is a criticism, implying that things haven't been done well so far.

On the other, "We can do better" is a hopeful message, suggesting that we can raise the bar and improve.

While some folks tend to focus on one or the other, I see two sides of the same coin. You cannot hope to improve upon things (and there's always room for improvement) if you cannot first acknowledge that things have gone astray.

That said; there are some folks who really don't like the slogan. At the Precinct 8 & 9 meeting this past Thursday, Selectman Carey Murphy suggested that I change my slogan this year because certain people in town hall didn't like what it implies.

However, the only people who would be bothered by my slogan are those who worry about having the light shed on their record. Given that Selectman Murphy recently announced his candidacy for the Third Barnstable District, the seat currently held by State Representative Matt Patrick, I believe that he is one such person.

After all, it must be a little frustrating to enter into a campaign where your record is going to be examined, only to have a third party suggest that the record could've been better.