Online or by mail: Patrick Thomas White Committee • 81 Hawthorne St. • Lenox, MA 01240

Politicians treat us like we're stupid.

Stop electing folks like this to public office.

I can't tell you how often folks have told me the last few weeks: less words, more photos! As if a picture of me gladhandling is a good reason for you to vote for me.

Here's the thing. There are solutions to our problems. They require bold action and they aren't for the meek or the faint of heart. I've proposed a whole bunch of them, but these aren't just my ideas. They are informed by South County's town managers and select boards and workers and teachers and business owners, the folks I've spent years talking with to figure this out.

Let me give you a few examples.

Know how much more a new car payment is now that interests rates are higher than they were a few years ago? It's the same for road and bridge and school repair. Let's make cheap money the state already has in the bank available to towns to borrow at lower rates to jump start our infrastructure.

Know how crazy your property tax bills have become? That's because to run your town, the state requires you to fund the cost of government primarily through property taxes. We've got millions of visitors each year coming to the Berkshires. How about we tax them more so we can tax you less?

I hate lazy, including lazy thinking. The same old same old isn't going to cut it anymore. Maybe we need bolder leaders who will take the time to come up with real solutions, not slogans and pretty pictures.

Look, I would love for you to chip in $50 for the cost of this campaign. But you know what I want even more? I want an hour of your time. Click the various links at patrickwhiteberkshires.com and read about real solutions. And ask yourself, why haven't we done that already? It's a fair question, but one that's easy to fix. Just vote for Patrick White.

Stockbridge Old Town Hall.