The candidates are all talking about it. Citizens petitions allude to it. Some residents say they are frustrated by it. “It” is a perceived lack of leadership. There are a lot of unresolved issues in town, to be sure. And many have been analyzed to death, or at least so it seems. In looking for material for our column “A Look Back,” we have been surprised to see that many of the issues making the headlines today are the same ones that were making headlines 30 years ago, and are still unresolved: affordable housing, the budget crisis, controlling growth. Other issues haven’t been around quite as long, but they show signs of heading in the same direction, such as Devens disposition and a town center septic solution.

While it is praiseworthy for town leaders to gather as much information as possible on issues before reaching a conclusion, they should take care not to get caught in the “paralysis of analysis.” Consider this: there will never be enough information. Circumstances change; new questions arise; people come and go. What seems like a good decision today may not be later on—if we wait long enough. The mark of a good leader is one who considers all available input, but then musters up the courage to say the time for analysis is over and provides guidance toward some kind of conclusion. Decisions ultimately rest with the voters, but voters need leaders who are able to review and distill information and who can help them understand the potential consequences of their decisions.

A skilled leader is also a good communicator, a collaborator—one who anticipates what other people might need to know about an issue, and reaches out to involve them. We have seen what appears to be a lack of communication among some boards in town. The land use boards have complained that selectmen unilaterally made decisions regarding Local Initiative Projects without hearing input from them. The Town Center Sewer Task Force, a subcommittee commissioned by the Board of Selectmen, seems to be somewhat at odds with the Board of Health. Some members of town boards who attended this week’s Finance Committee budget forum seemed blindsided by the committee’s actions regarding the proposed budget for new programs. It makes one wonder: “Don’t these people talk to each other?”

We hope that voters will be looking for leaders as they consider their choices in the upcoming election.