In spite of the general economic conditions there has been encouraging progress in the last few years in solving long-term town of Harvard issues. A positive momentum is building and Bill Johnson has been directly involved and, as a selectman, his leadership would enhance and continue this progress.
I first met Bill two years ago as a fellow member of the Fiscal Impact Analysis Team (FIAT) and now serve with him on the Economic Development Analysis Team (EDAT). From these exposures I believe Bill will be an exceptional selectman, because of his professional leadership experience and his unique ability to find, prioritize, and share information.
Ours is an information world; a lot of information is available from many sources. Bill knows this world and as selectman would benefit the town in many ways, but three stand out to me:
As a selectman Bill would enhance the decision-making ability of the Board of Selectmen. His sound information skills and nonconfrontational approach would facilitate consensus on the board, which would produce positive decisions in place of no decision and/or divisive decisions.
Bill would provide the leadership and people skills that would enhance our town and private organization volunteers. Our town is mainly a volunteer system and what drives these volunteers is a feeling of positive contribution, their gift of time and effort well received. Bill understands this and would be a selectman that supports their efforts with his personal approach and information skills.
Finally, Bill has the information-sharing skills which would contribute to more positive and productive town meetings. We have evidence from his past presentations on Bare Hill Pond issues and the FIAT report. The information is up front in a clear and concise way that voters at the meeting can absorb and decide on. Questions are courteously answered with information instead of debate.
Rick Maiore
Woodchuck Hill Road
