Sen. Cheryl Rivers— The Honor and Privilege of Running

Sen. Cheryl Rivers— The Honor and Privilege of Running

I am humbled and gratified that the people of Windsor County have given me the honor and privilege of serving them as their State Senator for the next two years. My determination to work hard to advance the issues we care about has been renewed during the course of the campaign.

I have knocked on doors throughout the county, visited with you at recycling, and spoken with you at church suppers, community events and in supermarket parking lots. I attended eight candidates’ forums and responded to many questionnaires.

I drove my horse in parades, I sent you letters about my positions, and taped public access T.V. shows to help people understand what kind of Senator I am, what I stand for, and what sort of representation you can expect from me. Many of you also phoned and wrote me, or spoke to me at your door or on the street, letting me know about your priorities.

I am resolved to continue this dialogue. I would welcome your participation in a series of community meetings that I will be holding in communities around the county to listen to your concerns, and to share with you some of my ideas. In addition, I will be starting an electronic newsletter. If you would like to receive it, send me e-mail at cprivs@sover.net.

I wish to acknowledge the public service that every candidate in the race performed by making the effort to run. My hat is off to every one of my fellow candidates.

The press has written about negative aspects of this campaign, but I would like to share with you some of the positive things I experienced. There were thousands of acts of individual kindness.

There was the logger that helped me unload my carriage at the Sharon Parade, and helped me hitch up my horse and load up afterwards. There was the person who loaned me his gloves when he saw I was cold. There were the hundreds of people who displayed lawn signs at their homes and businesses, diligently replacing them when they were stolen or vandalized.

There were the people who honked their horns, smiled and gave me thumbs up when I was out waving at the campaign’s end. There were dozens of people who helped hand address post cards, wrote letters to the editor, and took time to make get-out-the-vote phone calls. There were hundreds of people who made financial contributions.

My supporters were truly wonderful, ever-present, and always willing to cheerfully rise to whatever task presented itself. There were many people who disagreed strongly with me on one issue or another, and yet looked beyond this and supported me. This is appreciated from the bottom of my heart.

But I also want to express my appreciation to many of you who didn’t vote for me. There will always be people who choose not to support me, for one reason or many. I appreciate it when they express this to me— briefly or at length—with honesty and civility. This is the lasting impression that I will carry with me out of this campaign.

We all share a deep love for our wonderful state, and I am more certain than ever that there is more that binds us together than divides us. Let’s keep talking together.

(Cheryl Rivers is one of three Senators elected to represent Windsor County.)