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My husband, Mack, and I arrived in Hampton in April of 2005. We relocated from Rhode Island to Hampton after being lured by the beautiful setting, the prospect of experiencing small town, rural New England life, and the opportunity to do some vegetable gardening. Hampton has been everything we envisioned, and more.

Now that we have had a chance to live in the community for a period of time, I am interested in becoming involved in local government. I think the Selectmen -Town Meeting format of government is an exciting privilege that we enjoy here in Hampton and I am anxious to participate in a significant way. My attendance at several town meetings has highlighted for me the critical issues Hampton faces and convinced me of the opportunities for improved information to, and inclusion of, our townspeople as we address these issues.

My background and skills from 33 years in Health Administration and Community Service can help us realize those opportunities. During those years I successfully identified and solved problems, engaged, managed and led people and built and adhered to large budgets. I was recognized as a leader in addressing organizational and communication needs.

I think that one of the key responsibilities of the selectmen is to ensure that there is effective communication between town residents and Town Hall. Effective “two way” communication is the key to ensuring that Hampton residents are fully informed on issues, and is the foundation of effective problem-solving. I plan to work to increase the methods and opportunities for that kind of communication, using face to face meetings, more written communication and enhancing the capabilities of the existing town web site.

Over the next two years,

We need to continue down the path of a resolution for the education of our middle and high school aged children. If the cooperative high school is approved, we need to ensure that we have an educationally and fiscally sound plan for our middle school children.

We must ensure that town money is spent wisely and that the budgeting process is rigorous and includes town resident input. We can take advantage of additional government and private grant opportunities that help us preserve our history as well as promote our sense of community through community projects, arts and environmental protection.

We must ensure that the individual town committees, though operating with independent authority, work in concert toward a cohesive town vision and fulfill their obligation of education and engagement of residents.

Between now and the November election, I look forward to talking with as many of you as possible to get your concerns and ideas. Once elected, I plan to continue that dialogue and hope many of you will work closely with the Board of Selectman and the other town committees with the goal of making Hampton one of the best small towns in which to live.

Melanie Johnston


PS - Here is my professional resume below.

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melaniejohnstonresume2.pdf	118.23 KB