Phil Carter, of Canaan, N.H., stands at Wells Cemetery on Canaan Street on February 20, 2017. Carter has been a cemetery trustee in town for the past decade. “Being retired I thought I ought to do a little more for the town,” Carter said. “I think a lot of people should do more for their towns.” (Valley News - Geoff Hansen) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
Phil Carter, of Canaan, N.H., stands at Wells Cemetery on Canaan Street on February 20, 2017. Carter has been a cemetery trustee in town for the past decade. “Being retired I thought I ought to do a little more for the town,” Carter said. “I think a lot of people should do more for their towns.” (Valley News - Geoff Hansen) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.

As a newspaper photographer since 1989, and a homeowner for the past 16 years, I have been to my share of meetings in the Upper Valley.

I have seen passionate and engaging discussions about the issues at hand, but I also think about the hours and hours officials commit to attending meetings, preparing budgets, planning projects and carrying through with them.

Why the heck would you put yourself through that?

“I like the job. I like what I can do for the citizens in Windsor,” said Marianne A. Blake, who serves as lister-assessor. “We know the people well. We try to be very, very fair. … This is our community. We work for our community. There’s a good connection there.”

ghansen@vnews.com | 603-727-3247