I will not be running again for a seat on the Paris Board of Selectmen in June.

There are many honorable women and men in Paris who could serve the town well, though the issues they will face are difficult and complex. Let us find, encourage, and elect one of those people — someone who will make a practice of abiding by state and federal laws; someone who, in practice, will help ensure the short-term and long-term financial well-being of Paris; someone who doesn’t represent a particular interest group; someone who is ethical; someone who has courage to speak and act on difficult issues even in the noise and chaos that may surround them.

There are people out there with those attributes, just look at the caliber of people serving on the Road Committee.

It has been an honor to serve South Paris as a member of the board and currently as vice chairman. I thank the public for the trust and confidence in me which their votes represented, and thank them for the many comments of support and encouragement on the phone and in the aisles of the grocery store.

As I serve out the rest of my term, I promise to continue to be totally engaged, to do my homework, to attend all meetings, and to speak up until the final second on June 11.

Jean Smart, South Paris