Jim Burrill is a good choice for selectman for many reasons. He has a BA degree from the University of Maine in secondary education, 1990, and a BS degree from Roger Williams University of Rhode Island in Business Administration Management, 1975.
He served four years in the U.S. Air Force, and is a Vietnam War veteran who served his country with high standards. Jim served four years as a town of Strong selectman with those same high standards. He served as the Democratic Party chairman for 14 years, and was a delegate attendee of the National Democratic Convention in New York. Party affiliation is not a requirement to run for selectman, but his dedication is an attribute to bring to the board.
He makes decisions that are the best for our town based on facts, instead of a bias opinion. Jim is a sincere person who gives of his best to any situation. Please vote for Jim and bring good stability and integrity to the Board of Selectmen.
Eunice V. Shurtleff and Richard A. Shurtleff
Taxpayers in the town of Strong
The candidate has a nice resume from 35 years ago, but there are some gaps. Do we really care that he graduated from college in 1975 and again in 1990? Does the candidate have an employment history? Does the candidate have a record of community service on committees, boards, volunteer activities, etc.? Was that 14-year Democratic Party Chairmanship position in Franklin County? What years? I think I’ll have to check on that fact. Any skeletons in the closet? Ask questions, folks! Don’t be lazy and not do any research before you vote on march 4! There is nothing I just read that tells me the candidate has done anything to contribute in a meaningful or memorable way to his community.
Mary White, on the other hand, has a long record of community service, tremendous support for the Fire Department, and for the past 8 years, has spent hundreds of hours organizing an August yard sale that’s benefitted Relay For Life, the Animal Shelter, the elementary school, and lots of other groups. They got enough money one year to buy new uniforms for the firefighters, who had been making do with leftovers and things that barely fit. This year, she helped eighth graders raise money for their class trip. The annual Christmas party she and volunteers put on for the kids is just great. They donated bikes to winners in a Strong Public Library contest, and there are probably other things we don’t hear about. That’s the simple difference in true dedication to the community versus an old resume and nothing else. I know who my vote is going to!
Many people help the Town in different ways but are silent about their contributions. Yes, folks, do your homework. I have and I am still voting for Jim.
I truly hoped readers could get a straight answer to a straight question. What exactly can you tell us, besides the fact that he was a selectman (and was defeated in his next campaign) and has a college degree from a long, long time ago.
What would tell us he has any record of any Strong community service? Or any record of anything? Member of parent-teacher group? Helped with the annual parade? Worked on the bicentennial? Helped with the spring clean-up on the roads? Active in the American Legion? Anything? This shouldn’t be a hard list to come up with, should it? Unless there just isn’t much to put on that list.
At least we know he finished his term(s) without quitting. That’s a plus!
The election for Selectman in the Town of Strong is March 4 from 1-6PM. I am Jim Burrill and I’m running for the three year term. As a Selectman I listened to all the people and when I made a decission, popular or not, I did it base on facts of each case and not on bias or for personal gain. For that reason and because I have been around long enought to know you can’t please everyone all the time I feel I must answer Just Curious questions.
I was elected with Harry Gordon in 2006 to fill a one year term after four selectmen quit. I was reelected with Milt Baston in 2007 to fill a three year term. I was defeated in a four way race (175-160-130-106) in 2010. I received 130 votes.
I was the only member of the board to not miss a meeting in the four years I served. I often debated with other members, at budget time to hold and or lower ther Mill rate on your taxes.
I served as a member of the Sandy River Recycling Board and it’s budget committee from 2006-2010.
I spent many hours working as the chair of the Strong Advancement Committee. 2007-2009
Some people run fundraisers and some people donate to them. Without the silent donators the fundraisers fail. I have supported Mary’s efforts in the past and I respect her community service
I’m sorry Just Curious does not consider serving in Viet Nan as community service.
I was an active member of the Democtatic Town and County committee and served as the town chair from 1988-2002.
I’ll be honest, fair, and concerned with all the towns people needs and will do whats right for the towns future . I love the town of Strong. I want to serve it’s citizens and I’ll work to make Stong a Great place to live for it’s citizens , my children, and my grandchildren. I want to be your selectman. I ask for your vote.
I’m just curious why Just Curious is affraid to say who they are?
Thank you, Jim for clarifying some issues unknown by ‘Just Curious”. I hope that those who read your letter can see the justification of your position. I know that what you say is the truth, as I was Town Clerk when you became a selectman, and I read all Selectmen’s minutes. They are available for all citizens to read, and a good way to find out what goes on when selectmen meet. You, in my opinion, will bring stability, honesty, and integrity to the Board. To ‘Just Curious’: I have known Jim Burrill for many years and have found him to be a very intelligent man. I met him at the student center in 1988 when I worked there, and he was attending classes at UMF.
Just curious, you have so much to say, yet you hide behind an acronym. What have you done for the Town and does what you have done give you the right to discredit others? In my book, Jim is still the best candidate for selectperson.
I’m curious as well- I’m curious why Jim Burrill is running for office again. Based on the audio I heard of a selectmen’s meeting regarding the illegality of a vote that was taken, Jim said something like, “I don’t care if it’s legal or not- if the people of Strong don’t like it, they can vote me out of office”. So we did. The tapes are available at the town office. I’ll be casting my vote for Mary White- she cares if it’s legal or not.
Please do your homework, Also Curious. You cannot judge a book by its cover. There are those in Town, other than me, who can tell you about who cares about legalities. People are not always as they appear.
Nasty politics ‘curious’. You tear down the meaning of the Constitution. The last I knew a person could stand for what he/she believes, and on his/her own merit. The tape you refer to also has other implications, and everyone should listen to learn MANY things. Not only to that particular tape, but ALL of them over the past few years. To be torn down by those who call someone a liar when they know it’s not true, and doing that to a person when they know no one else is there as a witness, is meaness supreme. I know where the REAL liars are. I can also see that the lies are leaving tell-tale signs, and I am not referring to Mary White. Jim is a good man, and a Vietnam Veteran, which is an honor to this Country, State, County and Town. Can you say the same ‘curious’? Richard and I are voting for Jim.
Finding out who Mr. Burrill’s most ardent supporters appear to be is enough to change my vote to Mary White.
It seems the ‘tapes’ contraversy got to someone. When you take something out of context to suit yourself you are committing ‘contexting’ or another name is ‘quote mining’. Those are fallacy and a type of false attribution in which a passage is removed from its surrounding matter in such a way as to distort it’s intending meaning. By the way, I have a copy of the tape in question and the somewhat quoting was way off base.
Eunice, by all means, please correct me- if you have a copy of the tape, can you tell me what Jim Burrill said that immediately preceded the phrase, “if they don’t like it, they can vote me out”? I would appreciate having that quote completed in an accurate way, since I don’t have the benefit of having a copy of the tape. I am not intending to take the phrase out of context at all- it just seemed very hostile from someone holding public office.