To the editor: For experience, enthusiasm, vote Cote for Chester Select Board

For more than 30 years, I have worked in senior management roles, first as a regional risk manager for a national insurance company and the last 17 years, as senior vice president of MEMIC, an insurance company headquartered in Maine.

During that time, I was also president of MEMIC Safety Services, a safety and business consulting branch of the insurer.

Letters to the editor logoMuch of my background during these 30 years, aside from consulting for countless client businesses in the Northeast, was to promote/market our business. I served on several national industry boards. I routinely lectured at conferences and led consensus-building efforts within the safety profession.

For 20 years I served as an adviser and adjunct professor to the University of Maine’s Applied Engineering Program, president of the Portland Red Cross for two years, deacon in our church, chaired the board for Camp Good News in Southern Maine, and the list goes on. I have earned two master’s degrees (one of which is an MBA), along with numerous certifications related to business development and risk management.

My background and experience is uniquely suited for Chester’s Select Board at this time. My background can be of tremendous value and an asset to the community.

Our children are grown and supporting their own adventurous lives. Sarah is a PhD professor at the University of Washington at Tacoma, Seth is a staff sargent and instructor for the Army after having served three full tours of infantry duty in the Middle East, and Rachel is finishing her master’s degree at Norwich University. Each child’s pre-college education was through my wife Penny’s private school, Royal Academy.

Penny and I moved to Chester just more than six years ago after doing much research on the region’s ability to sustain a steady growth. We purchased Inn Victoria in January of 2010 and have been dearly blessed over the last six years to be supported and welcomed by the community!

We have a deep passion for Chester and have a tremendously positive outlook for our future. Raised in a similar environment as Chester, on the Canadian border in Northern Maine, I know what it is like to work two or three jobs to make a living. I also know what can happen to a small community if property values decline by 50 percent as they have in Chester over the last eight years.

This decline is a direct reflection of 18 years of status-quo leadership on our Select Board. Healthy board leadership should turn over every four to six years, allowing for fresh ideas and energy. Eighteen years of one perspective leads to stagnant and complacent leadership, missing too many opportunities along the way.

Although we all appreciate and admire our incumbent’s 18-year service, I believe our community is facing opportunities that require new ideas and a vision for the future. I have the energy, enthusiasm and leadership skills to make a difference in our community.

Some of our most pressing needs include:

  • Meaningful employment growth
  • Projects that aid our elderly and individuals in need of transportation, food, heat etc.
  • Recognizing and protecting the beauty and precious nature of the village Common, the Depot and the Stone Village and our way of life.
  • An Economic Development Plan that builds on the many positive attributes of our community.
    For more details on these points go to: www.chestertelegraph.org and click on my ad at the top of the page.

Together, we can make a positive difference. Please reach out to your friends and let them know that there is a solid and positive option.  VOTE for Dan Cote on March 1.

Sincerely,
Dan Cote
Chester
innkeeper@innvictoria.com
875-4288

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Filed Under: CommentaryLetters to the Editor

About the Author:

RSSComments (0)

Trackback URL

Comments are closed.