On April 13, the citizens of Merrimack will have the opportunity to vote in a Special Election to fill the vacancy left by the passing of our beloved friend and neighbor, the former House Speaker and State Representative, Dick Hinch. I was very excited to hear that Town Councilor Bill Boyd was running to serve in this capacity. He is the type of person we need in Concord to represent our community.

I got to first know Bill when he and I served together on the Merrimack School Budget Committee. I liked Bill’s manner: approachable, authentic, a good listener, and data-driven with a good sense of humor. These traits carried over to his work on the Town Council where he has been a leader on a variety of issues; most notably, with our tax rate and budget. For the past 10 years, he has worked with his Council colleagues to keep our tax rates low and stable while supporting a budget that reflects the quality of life the community has enjoyed here in town: improving access to our parks; upgrading our roads and bridges to maintain access; modernizing our physical plant and infrastructure to better serve our town; and ensuring our first responders have the training and the tools necessary to keep our community health and safe. His leadership, skill set and attention-to-detail in these areas will ensure Merrimack citizens continue to be well-represented in Concord.

No one is better prepared to serve in Concord than Bill. He’ll listen to people and do his homework to make sure that his vote in Concord best represents the Merrimack community. I ask and urge my friends and my neighbors to join me on April 13 in voting for Bill Boyd for State Representative.