I have been honored to serve on Winchester City Council these past six years as well as the school board the eight years prior. Through these opportunities and experiences I have been able to gain an in-depth understanding of the issues impacting the city as well as the surrounding region. They are complex and require strong relationships with city staff and a wide range of local, regional and state level stakeholders.

The time commitment to handle this role effectively is significant. At times it can feel like a full-time job. On average the position on city council has involved between 15-20 hours per week for myself. I do feel I have been very effective in this role and it is important to me that someone can step into the position and be ready to represent our interests right away. I feel strongly that Miles Davis is the best person for that role.

I have been involved in lengthy discussions with Miles and his take on organizational structures and interpersonal management, being able to assess the situation not by just what people say but the substance of their statements and depth of their questions and, ultimately, how they vote. You must be willing to do the homework, develop supportive and trusting relationships, foster long term strategies and show integrity and accountability in your decision making. I believe Miles will bring this and more in representing the future for Winchester. There are no easy solutions, there is no unfound pot of money out there, issues are integral — you change one it will impact others.

There are real world challenges for our community that will require strong commitment by the people who will be in the room, in the meetings and tempered by the connections within the community to help direct our future. While nostalgia can be comforting it can be a distraction to good governance. Because at the end of the day the City Council is not just an elected body, but it is the board of directors of this organization we call Winchester with a $120,000,000 budget and almost 700 employees. We are in a very competitive market for both city staff/police/fire and rescue and educators and we need to work diligently to sustain our competent work force to maintain our quality of life. It does not happen all by itself.

With knowledge, integrity and a proven track record in situations requiring tough decisions I believe Miles Davis is the best person to serve on our City Council. Please join me in supporting his effort and setting up Winchester for the greatest potential for long term success. This is why I want Miles and you should too.

Richard Bell is a current Ward 1 representative on City Council.