[mukto-mona] Boston Globe - Bangladeshi man elected to Local Govt Body

 

From Bangladesh to the Board of Selectmen

By Tom Long,

Boston Globe

Correspondent

April 17, 2008

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/04/17/from_bangladesh_to_the_board_of_selectmen?mode=PF

 

Aboul Khan won a selectman's seat in Seabrook last month as he garnered 1,192 votes. His nearest competitor received 322. (Globe Staff Graphic / David Kamerman) )

 

SEABROOK, N.H. - Aboul Khan was born in Bangladesh and lived in New York City for 20 years, but he says he never really felt at home until he moved to Seabrook.

 

"What's not to like? I can go deer hunting on one side of town and go fishing for bass and stripers on the other," the affable 47-year-old proprietor of the Richdale Convenience Store said. He moved to this seacoast town seven years ago.

 

Khan was elected to the Seabrook Board of Selectmen last month by a margin of 870 votes - the first foreign-born elected official in that town in recent memory. It was an overwhelming victory. His nearest competitor got 322 votes.

 

"He's one of us," said Seabrook Town Clerk Bonnie Lou Fowler, a lifelong resident who said she wasn't surprised by Khan's victory. "Aboul is quite a personality. He's charming and smart and a good listener. He talks to everyone in town and he's heard their concerns. He's the champion of the common citizen."

 

Richdale is situated on heavily traveled Route 1 amid establishments like Bob's Tattoos, Fantasy Fireworks, and Cigarette City. Divine Mercy Catholic Books and Gifts is right across the street.

 

Fowler said she often goes to Khan's store for gasoline, bread, or milk. "I think everybody in town stops by at one time or other, and Aboul's always willing to chat."

 

Most days Khan can be found behind the counter dispensing bubble gum, antacids, and Powerball tickets as well as advice. A pile of town reports is stacked in front of the Slush Puppy machine near the front of the store.

 

"I throw open the door and they come," he said. "I could talk politics all day long and I've built up relationships. I have found that residents of Seabrook have a pride in their community that I share."

 

Khan believes he offers a fresh perspective when it comes to running the town. Promoting fiscal responsibility, using town resources efficiently, and improving communication among town officials and with the public are his main goals in office, he said. "I don't represent any special interests. I'm only interested in what's good for the citizens of Seabrook."

 

Mark Creamer, a trucker who delivers furniture, has become a regular even though he lives in Bristol, Conn. He said it isn't the prices that attract him, but Khan's personality. "I stop by about twice a month," he said while he paid for a cup of coffee. "Aboul is personable and likes to chat. He treats everybody like family. "

 

Khan immigrated to the United States from densely populated and poverty-stricken Bangladesh in 1980, shortly after earning a degree in political science at Notre Dame College in Dhaka. He said it was "rock 'n' roll" that brought him to this country, but when pressed he concedes that he saw the United States as the "land of opportunity."

 

For 20 years, he lived in the Bronx, where he operated a small grocery store for several years. A friend in Boston told him that a Richdale store in Seabrook was for sale, and after he visited the town, he leaped at the opportunity. He saw high traffic, retail development, and a chance to prosper and also enjoy New Hampshire's beaches and forests. It was a place he wanted to raise his two children with his wife, Morzia, who helps run the store. Her brothers work there, too.

 

Morzia said she wasn't surprised when Aboul decided to become involved in local politics. "We both come from political families," she said. Aboul's father was a deputy secretary of defense in Bangladesh and Morzia's father was mayor of a town in Pirojpur Province, Bangladesh.

 

Khan served on the town's Planning Board and budget committee before deciding to run for the Board of Selectmen this year.

 

He said as soon as he decided to run for selectman, he made a list of 150 influential citizens in town and called on them to let them know of his intentions.

 

He won't say who was on that list, because he doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings or because he's politically savvy. But retiring Selectman Dick McCann endorsed him with letters to local newspapers and to his own supporters.

 

Khan said his bond to Seabrook was solidified after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on Sept. 11, 2001.

 

"A police officer came by to make sure we were all right. He knew we were Muslims and thought there might be trouble. And he didn't just come by once, he must have come by 10 times," Khan said.

 

"The police chief dropped by, too. But we didn't have any trouble. The town has always welcomed us and now it's time to give something back. If you want to see democracy, come to the United States. If you want to see superdemocracy, come to Seabrook."

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