On March 14, I was sworn in as a selectman in Lyndeborough. I won the election easily, largely because I ran uncontested. I’m not saying this to be boastful; I’m trying to highlight a problem. A real problem.

When the votes were counted, I received the overwhelming majority. One voter cast their ballot for Mickey Mouse (that hurt my feelings a little), and a few others wrote in names of past selectmen or other familiar people in town. It was funny in the moment. It’s less funny when you step back and think about what it means.

Here in Lyndeborough, we had three open seats on the Budget Committee and two on the Zoning Board of Adjustment. These were just a few of several open seats that no one ran for. Write-ins end up winning these positions, and often they decline the position. People are being elected to serve their town, and they are saying no.

This is not just a Lyndeborough issue. It is happening all across the Monadnock region. Empty ballots. Uncontested races. Town boards and committees operating short-handed and scrambling to find last-minute volunteers.

Of course, the easy thing to say is that people just don’t care. I don’t buy that. I think the reality is something more uncomfortable.

The first, and most common, thing people will say is that they are just too busy. And that’s real. Most of us are juggling full-time jobs, kids, homes and everything else life throws at us. The time commitment is not nothing, but I don’t think that fully explains it. 

A larger issue is that serving in local government has become increasingly divisive. We have slipped into a mindset where disagreement is not just a difference of opinion, but a sign that someone is on the wrong side. If you vote differently, question an idea, or take a position that is unpopular with a particular group, you risk being labeled, dismissed, or treated as an opponent rather than a neighbor trying to do their best. The decisions themselves are complicated. In a small town, every single decision you make is one that affects your friends and neighbors. This creates real pressure. I worry about getting it wrong. For many, it’s just easier to stay on the sidelines than enter into that kind of environment.

There is also a basic awareness problem. Many residents don’t know what the Budget Committee does or what a ZBA even is. If you don’t understand the role, you are unlikely to put your name on a ballot for it.

What you get is a slow erosion of local government. We end up with fewer candidates, fewer perspectives and less diversity of ideas. This leads to more pressure on the small number of people who do serve. Eventually, you reach a point where boards and committees can’t function the way they are supposed to.

So what can we do about it?

We can start by taking a hard look at the culture around service. Disagreement should be part of the process. Personal attacks should not be. If serving your town feels like signing up to be a punching bag, fewer people will do it. We need to be able to disagree without treating each other like enemies.

We also need to be more intentional. Town leaders should actively recruit residents instead of waiting and hoping someone will run. We should make it easier to understand what each board does and what the time commitment actually looks like. New members should be supported so they are not walking into the role blind and alone.

Small, practical changes could help as well. More flexible meeting options. Clear expectations. Simple recognition for the people who step up.

At the end of the day, towns like Lyndeborough run on people. Not policies or plans. People. If there are no people willing to do the work, the system won’t just struggle, it’ll stop working altogether.

So yes, I may have won my seat easily, and I am grateful for the support I received. But we shouldn’t walk away saying, “Oh good, someone ran.”

It should make us stop and ask why no one else did.

Shane Meltzer lives in Lyndeborough and serves as a town selectman.