Once again, the townspeople of both Camden and Rockport have proven that change is not an acceptable word in their vocabulary. This past year alone, after the library debacle, and the "no vegan dinners allowed" vote, I should not have been surprised by last night's rejection of the Camden-Rockport Middle School overhaul. And yet I sit here, utterly perplexed as to what planet the people who voted "no" live on? No one complained when our taxes increased because of the overhaul to the Snow Bowl. And look at what has now happened – a budget for something that was planned years ago, is now over budget because, and imagine this, it is years later and there is so much more work to do than originally thought.

I've heard all the naysayers these past few months complain that we "need more time" to figure this out, or "it's cheaper to just fix and repair daily what is needed," and even better, "this is news to us." And yet the school board has worked diligently for years to find the best, and in the long term, economically feasible solution to the multitude of issues that haunt our current C-RMS building – involving everyone at every juncture. None of this was new and the school board worked incredibly hard to make sure that the public was aware every single step of the way.

The nail in the coffin, of course, was the Camden Select Board's letter encouraging voters to vote "no." Not only was the letter insulting to the educators at C-RMS, but it gave voters inaccurate information. And obviously, those who do not care about the future citizens of these towns (our children), drank the Kool-Aid that the select board served them and voted it down.

Camden and Rockport are now on the fast track to be the Peyton Place retirement community that it so desperately wants to be. And when those people die off, so will the towns. How can people question why our teens graduate and then leave as quickly as possible? This is why. When you push away small businesses, ignore the needs of our children and give families no reason to move here, you will have the town all to yourself, with very little to show for it.

It is disheartening when you come to the realization that those in power have no realistic solutions or desire to bring improvements to issues that impact such a large number of people in our community. Those in charge are so out of touch with the average person's reality that it's like a miniature version of Congress.

I am sure that C-RMS Principal Jaime Stone and Asst. Principal Matt Smith are anxiously waiting for every single member of the select board to show up with their mops, hammers, duct tape and band aids in hand (be prepared to make this a weekly event for the next 20 years). Make sure you bring my child an extra coat to wear in his chilly class, as well as his inhaler. And then when you see the population figures decreasing, as they are, take a look in the mirror and you'll understand why.

Susan Chadwick lives in Camden