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Barbara J Jones | 14 Johnston Drive | Enfield, NH 03748 | 603-448-1119
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Before posting concerns about Enfield's infrastructure or town facilities on social media, I hope everyone will take a moment to consider the broader impact.
Many people outside our community read these posts, including individuals who are quick to portray towns in a negative light. Too often, comments made online can be taken out of context or amplified in ways that make problems appear much larger than they really are. We've all seen how stories can take on a life of their own, and publications such as the Valley News can sometimes highlight controversy in a way that leaves readers with an inaccurate impression of our community.
In my experience, the Town Administration, Select Board, and town staff are open to discussing concerns and working toward practical solutions. If you have an issue, I encourage you to bring it directly to them or raise it at a public meeting before posting it on the Listserv or other social media platforms.
Constructive discussion is healthy, and there is certainly room for improvement in any community. But let's work together in ways that help solve problems while also protecting the reputation of our town. Thoughtful dialogue and collaboration will accomplish far more than posts that may be misunderstood, sensationalized, or ultimately give Enfield an undeserved black eye.
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This has been prompted by a few recent discussions on this list, where posters were chastised for raising their question/concern/topic here…
My understanding has been that the listserve/Discuss is our modern day General Store pot-bellied stove – somewhere we can all get together to share the news of the day, ask each other questions, offer items/services for sale or whatever, and exchange thoughts and ideas.
Please let’s resist the impulse to tell anyone that this is the wrong place for their post about….whatever topic. This should ALWAYS be the right place…this should be the place where we as neighbors should feel safe to post about anything local...and then offer helpful responses or ideas about other vehicles that we think might be productive, or just good jokes to relieve the tension that always seems to creep in.
K- Hammer
Enfield, NH
K,
I understand the spirit of your note, but I respectfully disagree with the idea that the Discuss List should “always” be the right place for any local concern, raised in any manner.
There is an important difference between open community discussion and turning a public listserv into the first stop for complaints about town infrastructure, facilities, employees, or administration. Some issues are better addressed first by contacting the Town Manager, Select Board, department head, or appropriate committee. That does not silence anyone. It simply gives the people responsible for the issue a fair chance to understand it, respond to it, and work toward a solution.
My concern is that when concerns are posted publicly before anyone has tried to resolve them directly, they can quickly become distorted. The Valley News and others can pick up on public frustration, make the issue seem worse than it is, and give Enfield a black eye. That does not help the town, and it often does not solve the original problem.
The Discuss List can absolutely be a modern-day general store. But even at the general store, people had a responsibility to be fair, accurate, and constructive. A public forum should not become a substitute for direct communication with the people who can actually fix the problem.
So I agree that residents should feel comfortable asking questions and raising concerns. But I do not agree that every concern should automatically be aired publicly first, especially when doing so may damage the town’s reputation and make cooperation harder.
Bob
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Thanks for your thoughts, Bob. Since this is a subscription list, I don’t consider it to be fully public. Yes, reporters have subscribed and used the content here for articles and that is unfortunate. Perhaps there should be some adjustments so that it isn’t perceived to be a public vehicle. It didn’t start as one.
K- Hammer
Enfield, NH