Turley Publications-Tantasqua Town Common Endorses Creamer for Selectman!

Turley Publications - The Tantasqua Town Common, has officially endorsed Tom Creamer for selectman. The endorsement as follows, was published by the Editor in the April 9th edition of the Tantasqua Town Common.

EDITORIAL - VOTE FOR CREAMER

Residents will have many consequential votes to cast come Election Day. But one race is no contest While there are many candidates running for open and contested seats this election, Thomas Creamer stands out.

When Creamer first announced his bid for selectman, we’re sure many rolled their eyes. Back then, he was better known as a controversial blogger, antagonistic and overly-opinionated. But "Creamer the Candidate" soon emerged as someone possessing the character, ideas and initiative to help set Sturbridge on a path to prosperity.

There's one caveat in our endorsement of this candidate. Creamer needs to lose his personal blog, end his boyish bickering with the town administrator and other officials, and offer opinions that are well reasoned. If Creamer can make the needed adjustments, we endorse him readily. And here’s why.

He has a record of stepping up. Thanks to Creamer and the Residential Energy Assistance for Seniors Foundation he helped develop, local seniors with limited resources don't need to choose between paying their grocery bill or their heating bill. Thanks to Creamer and others, residents affected by December’s ice storm were able to find a place to stay, generators and emotional support. With two potential disasters at his doorstep – one economic, the other natural – Creamer didn’t just say something had to be done. He led from the front. He knows his stuff.

During the debates, when his words and demeanor mattered more than his record, he came very well prepared with reports and studies he referenced. Not once did Creamer use an ad hominem argument. He was articulate and reasonable, while still conveying deep passion for this community. So much attention has been focused on how to spur growth without losing our small town charm.

The issues of Route 15 development and installing water and sewer lines along Main Street have been debated at length with no clear answers. But Creamer arrived at the GBIS debate last Wednesday with fresh ideas to build our tax base by enticing national distributing and shipping companies to locate here.Throw abundant industrial zoned land, the crossroads of I-84 and I- 90 and the promise of expedited permitting into the sales pitch, and the proposal is an attractive one. The initial investment of building infrastructure would easily be offset by increases to local tax revenue and employment.

No one can reasonably argue that any one of the four candidates does not want to see Sturbridge prosper. No one can say the candidates want anything but the best for this town. But for all the talk of needing to jumpstart the local economy, to take direct action in face of a national recession, only one candidate came to the table with a viable plan to do so. He is ready to engage residents – his door-to-door campaign approach clearly demonstrates this.

However, an election should not be decided based on who knocks on the most doors, who gets the most signs placed on Route 20, or who has the best looking Web site. Voters should cast their ballots after much deliberation. Which is how we make this one endorsement while other seats are also being contested.

Creamer’s willingness to search for new answers and ideas, coupled with his sincere devotion to Sturbridge, is the kind of leadership the Board of Selectmen needs in the coming years.

We urge voters to add Tom Creamer to their list of candidate picks on Election Day, Monday, April 13.

Editorial Staff - Tantasqua Town Common