Consider our community

By Chris Buck, Esq.

Submitted to Fosters, Nov. 28, 2010

It isn’t often you hear a Republican speaking up for spending, but that is exactly what I would
like to do with respect to Community Partners. I first became acquainted with this great
organization during their Candidates’ Forum in the context of my campaign for State
Representative. It was one of the best attended events of the 2010 political season, and included
several of Strafford County’s political leaders, both incumbents and challengers.

Now that the campaign season is over, it’s time to reach across the aisle and fight for essential
services. This newspaper challenged us to speak up and be heard with respect to the county
budget (“Now is the time to take control,” Nov. 27, 2010), and in that spirit I hope to impress
upon the County Commissioners and all citizens of Strafford County why Community Partners is
one of the most important and effective organizations to deserve our commitment and funding.

Community Partners serves families and individuals in Strafford County dealing with mental
health issues. Mental health, encompassing a broad range of issues, illnesses, and diagnoses, is
one of the most important priorities for our society. It is estimated that 1 in 3 Americans suffer
from some sort of mental health issue or illness (according to SAMHSA.gov). That means
nearly every family will likely be affected in their lives.

Community Partners excels in treating and supporting our friends and family members because
they understand the broad range of ways that abnormalities in the human brain can affect a
person’s quality of life. Community Partners addresses developmental disabilities, learning
disabilities, psychiatric conditions, and acquired brain disorders. They look at the person from a
holistic perspective, encouraging improvements to their quality of life in all aspects, mental,
emotional, vocational and spiritual. In a society where there term “mental health” is unfairly
stigmatized, Community Partners gets it.

As a fiscal conservative, I would like to see budgets cut across the board, more of an emphasis
placed on charitable giving than entitlements, and more accountability with how current funds
are spent. But a maxim of government that both liberals and conservatives ought to observe is
that those who cannot advocate for themselves deserve our compassion and support. While
many of Community Partners’ clients are indistinguishable from you and I – they are productive
members of society who work and pay their taxes and provide for their families – some face
challenges far greater than we will ever know. And it is precisely because of the unique
challenges they face that they are not as able to advocate for their needs. A reduction in the
budget for this organization would have a negative ripple effect throughout our community.

Moving forward, it is my understanding that Community Partners is already exploring ways to

become more efficient and less dependent on taxpayer funding. In discussions with board
members, I have been told they are looking to increase private contributions and decrease
reliance on Medicaid payments and support from the State and County. In the last budget cycle,
several agencies were supported by one-time stimulus funding, including Community Partners.
Now that we have to foot more of the bill, I humbly ask the County Commissioners, and indeed
the citizens of Strafford County, not to abandon this organization, but to help bridge the gap to a
time when they will be more financially independent. Our community will reap the rewards of
our support, as it would the consequences of our inaction.

Chris Buck, Esq.

Law Office of Christopher C. Buck
Dover, NH