A person serving in public office at any level usually needs a pretty thick skin.
But sometimes, especially on the local level, it seems like you need to be covered in rhinoceros hide to survive as an elected official.
You would think that one of those tough-hided pols would be Daryl Pillsbury, a salt-of-the-earth guy who is generally easy-going. But he said he had reached his limit this year, after he returned to the Selectboard after a 10-year absence.
Last week Pillsbury said that he was getting tired of dealing with the complaints of a noisy minority of residents who are quick to criticize and second-guess but slow to offer constructive ideas.
Pillsbury also said that “people are getting meaner.”
There is a decreasing lack of patience in our nation, and people seem more inclined to shout at one another than talk civilly and rationally.
The burnout factor in town politics has always been considerable. The pay is low, the responsibilities are high, and there is never a shortage of kibitzers who think they can do the job better.
But the aggravation factor has gotten too great for most sane and reasonable persons to run for town office. The time-worn aphorism that we get the government that we deserve may apply here. If the concerns of a handful of residents are enough to drive good people out of town affairs, what does that say about Brattleboro?
Elected officials aren't exempt from criticism, of course. But too often, that criticism can be personalized and turned overwrought, petty, and downright cruel.
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We do know that there will be three new members on the Brattleboro Selectboard after March 1. And, judging from the people who have already taken out nomination papers, it will be a different board politically.
Martha O'Connor, who has served on various town and state boards for many years, said it was time to let someone younger get involved.
Jesse Corum said that three years was enough and he wants to move on.
The three outgoing members have served the town well, and Pillsbury is hinting that this is just a temporary rest from town politics.
In the meantime, the new board members must anticipate needing the patience and wisdom to deal with an increasingly impatient citizenry.