To the Editor:

The Planning Board and, in fact, Marion’s entire town governance has been “in irons” for over a decade with no one at the helm skilled enough, smart enough or tough enough to steer the ship out of its back-slipping, past-hugging, future-fearing foundering. I believe Jennifer Francis is that helmsman! And she knows how to recruit and train and motivate an able and talented crew if given the opportunity to build an enlightened town governance team.

Finding zephyrs when there are none; building consensus when everyone disagrees; moving the town agenda forward with inertia and doubt lurking in every committee and on every corner; overcoming fear-induced and untruthful objections and misconceptions; cheerleading without apology new quality smart growth opportunities for our small businesses and new residential options for our changing and aging population; setting and energetically pursuing community goals for energy use, infrastructure improvement, town beauty and charitable outreach; embracing, combining and channeling the incredible energies and talents and resources of Marion's “private sector” without whom no forward momentum or progress in town would have been achieved over the past 20 years.

These are but a few of the challenges a new Planning Board member will face, must face, if the town is to ever truly get “out of irons.” We need to start a new era in town governance where high quality, properly scaled growth and forward planning and progress toward shared community needs and goals are embraced, not misrepresented and attacked. It will require several enlightened and compassionate leaders and many passionate followers to achieve that sorely needed transformation.

Jennifer Francis can be, will be, that clear-eyed caring leader and skipper to steer us sensitively but steadily towards the windward mark, our community goals and beyond. She deserves our vote and our support, in this election, and in the future.

Claude Hoopes,

Marion