Autumn in the North Cemetery.

Sixty miles west of Boston, Massachusetts there is the small New England town of Sturbridge. Located at the junction of I-90 (The Mass Pike), and I-84 it has become known as the "Crossroads of New England". The town was first settled over 300 years ago, and like other small New England towns it has grown just enough over the years to be in a difficult place today. How do we embrace the future without forgetting how we got to our present? How do we attract the right kind of growth, and maintain who we are? And, what about our culture out here in Central Massachusetts?



These pages will cause one to think about how to protect what we have, our future direction, and how to move on in the very best way.


Those thoughts, and other ramblings, will hopefully inspire more thought, conversation, action, and occasionally a smile...

...seems to be working so far

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Another Good Person

Dear Fellow Sturbridge Residents: 
On April 11th, voters will have an opportunity once again to go to the polls and choose our public officials. This year, I’m throwing my hat into the ring and will be running unopposed for the 3-year seat on the Board of Assessors that is being vacated by Mr. John Lafleche.  
When candidates are vying for one available seat, running for election presents many challenges for those who believe they are the best candidate for the job. Most candidates will mount an expensive and time consuming campaign and will set up websites, buy signs to be placed at strategic locations throughout town, and enter into public debates with their opponents. From the voter’s perspective, after learning the qualifications of new candidates and reviewing the accomplishments of incumbents, it’s splendid when there are choices at the polls. However, candidates who run unopposed are presented with a different set of challenges because there’s no competition and voters may feel uneasy because they are not familiar with the candidate. Therefore, I feel compelled to tell voters about me and my qualifications so that residents will know what they can expect. 
I have been married for 24 years and have been a resident of Sturbridge for 18 years. I have given back to my community in many positive ways by serving in various volunteer capacities, such as the Sturbridge Open Space, Community Preservation, and Town Administrator Search Committees. For the last few months, I have been attending Board of Assessor’s meetings with the town’s Principal Assessor, Bill Mitchell, and the other board members, John Lafleche, Dan Matte, and Kevin Arena. To this very qualified group of individuals I bring 23 years of appraisal experience and over 400 hours of education in real estate, including nine years in which I operated my own real estate appraisal business in Southbridge and Sturbridge.  
I take this opportunity to thank all of you for allowing me to introduce myself, and with your vote, I promise to bring the utmost respect and dignity to this volunteer position. I look forward to serving my fellow Sturbridge residents in this capacity. 
Sincerely, 
Carol Childress 

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