Municipal Election 2021
Tomorrow morning I will head to City Hall to file as an at large candidate for Dover City Council. Serving in this role for the past four years has been an honor and a privilege. While I think we have made some important strides, I feel there is more I can do over the coming two years to continue moving Dover forward. I hope to earn your support to continue serving as one of two at large members of City Council.
When I filed to run for my second term in 2019 I had no idea the challenges that lay ahead. At the time, I knew that I wanted to continue to bring the perspectives of a working mom to the table. I knew that I wanted to keep a focus on economy, education, and environment as I had in my first term based on feedback from members of our community and my own expertise. What I didn’t know was that the conversations around accessibility of public meetings and participation in local government would take on a whole new meaning. That our discussions of equity and affordability and science-based decision making would become lightening rods. That our collective capacity for listening and empathy and kindness would be put to the test.
And yet even in all the unexpected challenges of the past term, Dover has made great progress.
We have made great strides in our efforts to work across the region together to address water quality and the health of the Great Bay watershed.
We have worked hard to build constructive dialog between the School Board and City Council.
We have had difficult but productive conversations about working to make Dover more welcoming and inclusive for all our residents.
We have listened carefully to residents and worked to make important investments in recreation.
We have worked to ensure that all types and sizes of businesses can thrive in Dover and that they can weather the literal and figurative storms thrown at them.
We have continued to bring climate change and resilience to the forefront in discussions about the investments Dover makes.
But there is more work to be done on all these fronts and others. Most notably I hope to continue to improve transparency, accessibility, and accountability of local government. I have been honored to serve on the Appointments Committee this term and hope to continue that service going forward as Dover benefits greatly from all the perspectives and time of our countless volunteers on Boards and Commissions throughout the City. Dover has also benefited from the regional perspective and partnership brought through our participation in the Strafford Regional Planning Commission and I see valuable new opportunities ahead that bring together economic, environmental, and equity conversations. We also have important conversations that need to continue around how to appropriately invest in education in our community. We need continued focus on implementation of the Tri-City Homelessness Task Force Master Plan, particularly the recommendations around affordable housing and addressing other barriers to housing access. These are just a few of the many topics I pledge to continue working on as one of your City Councilors.
I hope to continue representing the voices of young families, helping our City continue on is path towards sustainability, and providing opportunities for all our residents. I will continue bringing attention to the issues members of our community have raised with me time and again - economy, education, environment, and equity. While we may not always agree, I am committed to continuing to listen and learn from all our residents to build a future for everyone in our city.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or if there are topics you’d like to discuss (lindseyfordover@gmail.com or 603-534-2119).
If you’d like to get more involved, here are some ways you can help:
If you’re not already registered to vote, head on down to City Hall soon! While you can always register same day, it’s easier to take care of that beforehand.
Help get the word out! Share this message with your friends, put up a yard sign, or volunteer to distribute postcards. Every little bit helps!
Donate to the campaign to help offset the costs of materials.
And most of all, mark your calendar to vote on Nov. 2!