The world of municipal politics can seem — to the outside — like a maze of bylaws, regulations and lots of debate.
Many on the outside are comfortable allowing the elected officials to wade through the issues and make plans that will try to allow for a smooth sea of decisions ... except one young resident of the Town of Bridgewater.
Six-year-old Rori Patterson was driving with her dad across the older bridge that spans the LaHave River. At the time, it was decorated with lights for the upcoming annual Christmas on the LaHave celebration.
Rori looked at the lights and then posed a question that took her dad by surprise. She asked, “Daddy, why don’t they decorate the other bridge like this one and make it look pretty, too?”
He responded that it was a very good question and that she — as a resident of Bridgewater — should write a letter to the mayor. They planned to do just that over the Christmas break.
On one of the last days of that break, Rori came to her dad and said she was ready to write the letter to the mayor.
The letter was simple and from the eyes of a six-year-old as it asked Mayor David Mitchell directly “Why can’t they make the other bridge look pretty for Christmas, too?”
The letter was sent to Town Hall and their hope was that they would get some type of acknowledgement for her effort. In the middle of January, there was a knock on the Pattersons’ door. When they opened it, Mayor David Mitchell was standing on their steps. He asked to speak with Rori, sat down for a discussion about her letter and personally delivered his response.
Mayor Mitchell feels strongly that any request he receives from any resident should be presented to his council for a decision — and this letter was no different.
The letter was presented at the next council meeting and is now in the hands of staff. They’ll study the request and come back to council with a recommendation — and the associated costs and logistics to satisfy the request — in the next budget preparation.
Mayor Mitchell also said that in a world of automated responses, he feels that even a letter from a six-year-old needs to be dealt with.
This would be a lesson that no matter how old you are, elected officials are your representatives. The way that people are dealt with, even the very young, can and will have a lasting impact on the way those in office are perceived.
He said Rori may be invited at some point to come and explain a bit more of her vision for the area. Mayor Mitchell also said that as a child, he would never have considered writing a politician about an issue — but agrees that the young people of today have a different sense of civic pride and are quick to initiate discussion on change.
For now, Rori’s request to “make the other bridge look pretty, too” is in the hands of Mayor David Mitchell and his council.
