The year 2011 has given us plenty to think about. For too many people, the American Dream has gone off course, leaving the GPS of our long-held assumptions about progress and prosperity “recalculating.” Throw in a brutal winter, an earthquake, a hurricane, and a Halloween horror storm, and the need for something stable and reliable suddenly seems acute. Newtown voters sought to address that need this week, sending a “steady as she goes” message through the ballot box. Returning to office most incumbents seeking reelection and selecting “newcomers” with deep backgrounds of community service, the local electorate has given First Selectman Pat Llodra layers of expertise throughout local government to work with as she begins her second term.

If this year has taught us anything, it is that the responsibilities of local government extend far beyond the kinds of “convenience” services of sidewalks, or parks, or the library, even beyond the solemn commitment to educate our young or to provide social services to the elderly and needy. This year has amply demonstrated that our community, with its formal governmental organization and its many less formal networks of mutual interest, backs us up, steadies our resolve, and moves us forward even when the wind howls, the earth shakes, and the trees all fall down. The lights may go out, yet somehow we all see our way through — together.

Paradoxically, in years like this when things get bad, the common good becomes easier to discern and understand. Let us hope, now that we have chosen our leaders for the next two years, that we can sustain the sense of community that has seen us through difficulty in the past. As we sort through our finances, let us be smart and thrifty but not stingy and short-sighted. As we educate our children and care for those in need, let us be committed and caring but not wasteful and self-indulgent. In managing our growth and environment, let us set the stage for the future without degrading what we have inherited from the past.

We sincerely thank all of those who ran for office this year — the winners, and especially the “losers.” It is no easy thing to step forward, to offer your best ideas, and to be told “No thank you.” But without these ideas and the willingness to serve, we would have little or no discussion of our common good, no challenge to our long-held assumptions about progress and prosperity.

As in every year, good and bad, when the election night parties conclude and the lights go out, all of us, celebrators and commiserators alike, must see our way through — together.