Endorsement: Stephen Reno, Former Chancellor of University System of NH!
I was honored to read Steveʼs endorsement in the Seacoast Online today. Steve is the former Chancellor of the University System of New Hampshire and the former Executive Director of Leadership New Hampshire.
Reflections of a Voting Grandfather
My nine-year-old grandson startled me a few days ago when he simply asked, “Poppo, who are you going to vote for and why?” He’d obviously taken notice of all the lawn signs around our neighborhood and had been told there would soon be an election.
What a straightforward question, but what a complex answer, especially one to give a bright young mind. So, I replied, “I’ll vote for the person who can work best with others to make life better for us all now and for you when you grow up.” He was satisfied, at least for the moment, but his question lingered long with me.
After careful consideration, Carleigh Beriont is the candidate for Congressional District 1 that best meets those two criteria. Over the years, I have observed her as a member, then chair of our Select Board. And more recently, I have followed her campaign tour around our district. Wherever she goes, Carleigh is there , not with slogans or vague assurances, but first just to listen to what is of greatest concern to people as they live their daily lives: the cost of living, access to affordable housing, healthcare, childcare, future of social security, adequate school funding, school lunch programs, taxes, ability to continue to live in the communities in which they have grown up, the quality of the water we drink and the air we breathe, and, more recently, the benefits and challenges of technology, especially its effect on young people. Her grasp of these issues, down to details, is extremely impressive.
These are local versions of national concerns: issues that have both immediate and long-term impacts. And who better to work to address them in Congress than someone who has worked to deal with them locally, and especially doing so in a bipartisan, collaborative manner?
Carleigh knows, and she says so, that no one in Congress works alone, but instead works with others - as she’s done in Hampton – to build coalitions. And her energy to do so comes directly from the people she meets. That is where her intelligence, empathy, and determination come together to work on behalf of her constituents.
That would be a lot for me to explain to my grandson, but it’s what prompts me to endorse Carleigh Beriont…. for us all for now, and for our children and grandchildren.
