In the contest for three seats on the Rockport Select Board I am casting one vote for experience and two for fresh thinking.

I would like to see Bill Chapman serve for another term. Bill knows and loves the Town of Rockport. He always is willing to go the extra mile, call another meeting or go on a listening tour. The hours mount up. As Chairman of the Rockport Parks Committee, with Bill as our select board liaison, I can attest that Bill is willing to do the hard stuff that nobody sees.

That said, I do agree the Rockport Select Board needs some new thinking. But replacing three out of five members is a bit extreme and leaves us with little institutional memory. We need Bill Chapman for that. I am voting for him.

For the other three-year term I enthusiastically support Anastasia Fischer. Professionally she has worked as a consultant on projects in advertising and marketing, financial services, publishing, logistics, e-commerce, news/media, insurance, medical research, and education. She is experienced in bringing people together to accomplish a common purpose. I like the fact that her literature states she will work to "ensure all parts of Rockport are considered in all decisions".

Anastasia has lived in this area for 17 years. Her son is a student at Camden Hills Regional High School.

The third candidate I support is Tom Gray, who is running for the two-year term. My previous exposure to Tom was hearing the comments of parents I know whose children have had him as a teacher. Their praise was universal.

I met and talked with Tom the other day. He is a good listener, he is considerate, and he speaks well. I can easily picture him seated at the table with the other members of the select board and contributing meaningfully to the discussion.

This election on June 13 is key to the future of Rockport. Let's show our support for the candidates with a large turn-out.

Dave Jackson lives in Rockport