The campaigning is over, the election is past and the political promises and rhetoric now become a reality. As we welcome three new members to our town board, we do so with encouragement and anticipation of what can be accomplished with us working together.

A special thanks goes out to those who offered themselves for consideration to serve as well. We also say thank you to those who will be leaving the board at the end of their term. Thanks for their many hours of service, deliberation and the personal sacrifice they have given.

It is not a board of individualism, but members working together for the common good of our community. Collectively the sky is the limit for leading our town into the future, if we are willing to think outside of the box of normalcy. The combination of individual thoughts, ideas and working together will bring a whole new frontier to Wendell. We must consider the residents and not ourselves, or what’s in it for us, but to put the welfare of every resident first and foremost in every decision we make. And we must evaluate the cost and the impact of each decision before we vote.

Our priority as a town board must be what’s best for Wendell and no longer doing business as usual. To grow our tax base of non-residential development has to be one of our priorities if we expect to achieve any tax relief for the homeowners. Together, we can transform our town into the number one choice of places to live and raise a family in a safe and friendly environment. We can retain that identification even as we grow commercially and institutionally, if we plan for it in the right perspective.

The town board can accomplish great and mighty things and move our community forward, in the right direction, with the support of all the citizens. I hope we can count on you as we undertake this monumental task and let the blueprint of Wendell’s future reflect your input.

Ira C. Fuller

Wendell

Editor’s note: The writer is a sitting commissioner on the Wendell town board.