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Our town’s reality check and an RX
 

Everything that has gone on in the town lately is enough to make people feel bewildered, angered, and embarrassed. This year alone, we have had three sex-related crimes in the national news. The school bus incident. Richard Cretinon. And now Brian.

It's worth pausing for a reality check and an attempt to put our situation into a context that will help us deal with it.

In my view, there is no common denominator, no "connect the dots" theory and no simple, quick explanation that will make it easier to understand what has happened, hold our heads up and say that we are proud to call Kingston home.

However, let's remember that these acts are the alledged wrongdoings of individuals, not the entire community. We should not lose sight of the fact that nearly 12,000 people live within our borders. The element that has catapulted us into the national spotlight consists of a dozen, maybe fifteen individuals in total. To be sure, one incident is one too many, but there are a lot of good people who live here, too. Let's not forget that.

Do these types of crimes really happen here more than elsewhere? Probably. We receive more notoriety at least because the crimes are committed by public officials, individuals in whom we place our trust. A rape or sex crime is no less heinous an act if committed by the guy who drives the delivery truck, or the commuter who has no visibility in the community. But link it to a police officer or a politician and you fuel the flames of a sizzling, juicy story.

To give the media its due, though, let's acknowledge that when you have two public officials accused of rape and other sex crimes within a month of each other, it's news -whether it happens in Kingston, Duxbury, Dorchester, or Iraq.

So how should we react to situations such as these, and what can we as a community do?

First, we can stop the hand-wringing and the "poor us" coffee shop discussion. We can look for positive ways to move past the headlines. More than 300 residents took that first important step by organizing and delivering a petition to the Board of Selectmen, calling for a special election to fill the vacancy caused by Richard Cretinon's resignation. Although this will cost $6,500 and fills the seat only three or four months ahead of the annual election, this is money well spent.

Although some members of the Board of Selectmen argued that it would make sense to keep the seat vacant until the April election and save the funds, the special election provides voters with the means to bring a more immediate resolution to a distasteful chapter in our town's history.

Every time the cable camera zoomed in on the empty seat, it would serve as a reminder of why the board of selectmen had four instead of five members. A new person and a new voice will help shape the board, give it focus, and let the town go forward secure in the knowledge that we have done everything we can.

A second positive step is that seven citizens (it may be more by the time this article appears in print) have stepped forward to run for the vacancy on the Board of Selectmen. I commend them for taking this step at a time when trust in public officials has been shaken. And I commend Mark Beaton for his courage in calling for a meeting immediately, rather than waiting until the following Tuesday, to deal with the Cretinon resignation situation.

His attempt failed, but this was not a "business as usual" circumstance and he saw the need for quick action. I'm no psychic, but I believe that whoever wins this vacant seat on the Board will not be a "business as usual" person. And I hope that the interest in the Silver Lake Regional School Committee, to fill Brian's seat, is every bit as intense.

What else can we do? We as voters can ask tougher questions of candidates. We can insist that the appointing authorities in town screen more carefully. We can ask candidates for public office to voluntarily undergo background or CORI checks as a way of helping the community regain its sense of trust. The ones who want to set themselves apart from the pack have probably already thought of this.

We can, as voters, let it be known that we will have a "Zero Tolerance" policy for officials who put our community in a compromising position.

And we should all actively encourage new, fresh faces to step forward and seek elective and appointed positions. Kingston has a long list of distinguished individuals who have served and continue to serve our town - individuals that we can look to with pride and gratitude for all they have done. Let's find more of them!

And let's encourage committees, officials and citizen groups alike to step up the community events that unite us, such as the luminary celebration and Old Home Days. What about a "Kingston Pride" day?

Susan and I moved here 25 years ago when there was no Independence Mall, only one traffic light (a blinking light at what used to be called Hojos), and when you could call anyone in town simply by dialing the last four digits of their number. Times change, but the small-town feel that defined Kingston in 1978 is still very much alive. When I walk into the Post Office, or go through the Mall, or into a restaurant, there's a good chance that I will see someone I know who I can have a conversation with.

Would I call Kingston an ideal place to live? No. The taxes are too high, the traffic is too congested, and there is too much political infighting.

But, would I call it a good place to live? Absolutely! It's home, and if all of us who call it home do our part to make it a better place to live, we'll lose some of the sting of recent history.

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