The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

letters to the editor

“My Turn” replaces “Letters to the Editor”

To our readers:

Starting today, the Lincoln Squirrel will run opinion pieces and letters under the banner of “My Turn.” This is more in line with how other newspapers and websites handle their “op ed” sections (opposite the editorial page, though the Squirrel does not feature editorials by editor/publisher Alice Waugh).

In the past, we’ve published opinion pieces and open letters to fellow Lincolnites as “letters to the editor,” but newspapers traditionally apply that label to letters that are addressed directly to the paper’s staff commenting on previously published news stories or opinion pieces. “My Turn” more accurately reflects the diverse nature of first-person Lincoln Squirrel pieces by residents, whether they’re expressing an opinion about something, advocating a certain political or social action, thanking the community for help, or offering any other first-person public communication from a Lincoln resident to the editor or the town at large.

Previously published letters to the editor will still be grouped in their own category in the dropdown menu found in the left-hand column of the Squirrel website, but future pieces will be filed under “My Turn.” As always, comments and suggestions are welcome.

Alice Waugh
Editor/publisher, The Lincoln Squirrel
lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com

Letter to the editor: McFall invites students and parents to discuss racism

To the Lincoln community:

I write to you from a place of humility, acknowledging that, at this point in time, there are so many areas of uncertainty that I do not have clear responses to or concrete action plans to address. However, what is weighing most heavily on me right now is how to respond, in my role as a superintendent, to the civil unrest taking place across our country and the inequities and injustices experienced by members of our communities.

I know that this message will not resonate with everyone. I also know that I may make points that may be misconstrued. My intent is to acknowledge what many of us are experiencing and feeling and to share some possible ways to come together as a community for reflection, sharing, and consideration of our collective responsibility to make things better.

I do not presume to understand what it is like to be a person of color in our country. But, the only way I know to make sense of what is happening is by making connections to my own personal experiences.

In 1992, I was a middle school teacher in an unincorporated (not a town or city) area of Los Angeles County — Lennox, Calif. This was the community that I grew up in and began my career in education. It is a poor community where most parents work in service industries in and around the Los Angeles airport. The schools were a safe haven for students within the community. I am providing this context because what is taking place now, and has taken place for decades, mirrors what occurred in Los Angeles in 1992 in response to the acquittal of four police officers related to the beating of Rodney King.

As the riots ensued, most school districts closed, but we remained open knowing that our parents were not in positions of privilege and could not stay home from work to care for their children. We kept our students in self-contained classrooms and provided opportunities for discussion about what was taking place and how they were feeling. As you can imagine, my students expressed a wide range of emotions including anger, frustration, fear, inability to reconcile the outcomes with the evidence, and a sense of hopelessness. I perceived their expressions as an overall knowing that they were not valued and protected in our society.

As their teacher, I had a feeling of deep despair. My messages to my students had always been expressions of hope: if you have a goal and you work hard, you can succeed. I held myself up as a model for my students as someone who grew up in their neighborhood and attended the same schools. But in this moment I knew that much of what my students were feeling was the truth and that my message that all you need to do is work hard was not a truth. While much of our lived experience was the same, the color of my skin provided me with privilege and opportunities that they did not have. And the color of my skin provided me with the very basic necessity of a level of safety that they did not experience.

I am certain that students in our schools are feeling these same emotions and always have. The recent acts of violence against persons of color and the ensuing injustices have not created these feelings; they have always been there. When our institutional systems clearly tell you that you have no voice, then you are forced to find other means of communication. I do not say this to universally condone the actions that have been taken, only as an understanding of how we have ended up where we are. It is difficult to think about my experience in L.A. 28 years ago and to see that the experience for black and brown people in our country has not changed. Combined with a pandemic that is disproportionately affecting communities of color, racial inequities have been magnified, and my heart goes out to our families who are shouldering the impact of it all right now.

Please remember that our principals, social workers, school psychologists, and other school personnel are available if you need assistance.

An opportunity for members of our community to come together is scheduled for Thursday evening. Lincoln School grade 5-8 students will have the opportunity to join a discussion group on Thursday during the day. I am providing information below and hope that you will join us.

Please be well.

All the best,

Becky McFall
Superintendent, Lincoln Public Schools

1. Anti-racism resources for parents and educators

2. Event for adults — Thursday, June 4 from 6–7:30 p.m.
A 90-minute webinar from with Kathy Lopes, LICSW for parents, staff, and community members to acknowledge the educational, health, and social-emotional impact of Covid-19 (inclusive of local and national racism) on their communities and the current racial violent acts occurring in the country. Lopes will provide data, age-appropriate strategies, and resources to support adults in navigating the topic of systemic racism and how to approach these tough conversations with children of varying ages.

Join Zoom Meeting:
https://simmons.zoom.us/j/92663677391?pwd=Y3Y0OFBXZ2I3S3Y4TEh4ZXBmakxpQT09

  • Meeting ID: 926 6367 7391
  • Password: 459805
  • For call-Ins: (646) 558-8656

3. Student sessions for Lincoln School grade 5-8
There will be two group discussions, one for students in grades 5-6 and one for students in grades 7-8. Discussions will be guided by the students’ needs and the groups will be facilitated by mental health staff, METCO staff, and teachers. 

  • Grades 5-6: Thursday, June 4 from 10–11 a.m.
  • Grades 7-8: Thursday, June 4 11 a.m.–noon

The link to join will be sent in a letter of invitation to the student sessions on Monday.

Information for Hanscom Middle School student sessions will be provided early this week.

Letter to the editor: new voting processes being mulled statewide

To the editor:

2020 stands to be the most important election year in our lifetimes. The news media, television, and Internet are full of policy and advocacy differences, occasionally extreme and inaccurate. Opinions and expectations of Lincoln voters also vary widely. Lincoln voters highly value having their ballots counted and believe that this civic duty is the foundation of our elective democracy.

But in this era of the coronavirus pandemic, voters and poll volunteers share concern for their personal safety on Election Day. Bad weather on that day used to be just an inconvenience, but now the potential to catch a deadly disease is totally new and threatening. Brave citizens around the country have waited for hours in long lines, sometimes in bad weather, to cast their vote in their designated polling places. In several cases, the number of poll places has been reduced and located out of reach for many voters. 

The Massachusetts Senate and House of Representatives and the Secretary of State recognize the threat to voting in this environment and have drafted new processes and considered new statewide legislation to apply to the September 1, 2020 primary election and the November 3, 2020 general election. Some of those processes include expansion of absentee voting, addition of vote-by-mail, longer early voting periods, and secure outdoor dropboxes to deposit completed ballots. Lincoln now allows for early voting by mail and has expanded absentee voting eligibility; residents can apply for these provisions with the Town Clerk’s Office.

Absentee voting has been used frequently in Lincoln. States began absentee voting in the 1800s, and by 2018, 27 states have adopted “no-excuse” absentee ballot laws, something now proposed for Lincoln and Massachusetts. Nationally, vote-by-mail and absentee voting have occasionally been criticized as being open to fraud. However, a review of voter fraud studies done between 2009 and 2017 found such cases to be rare or nonexistent.

The current legislative bills focused on vote-by-mail include Senate Bill S2653 (An Act Relative To Voting by Mail and Early Voting) endorsed by Sen. Michael Barrett, Senate Bill S2654 (An Act Establishing Vote By Mail in 2020), and House Bill HD5026 (An Act Establishing Vote By Mail in 2020) as endorsed by Rep. Tom Stanley. The Election Laws Committee can amend any of these bills or return them to the appropriate Senate or House committee for consideration and possible further amendment. Timing is critical in order to finalize these bills in time for election implementation.

Sincerely,

Gary Davis
20R Indian Camp Lane, Lincoln

Letter to the editor: Farrington Nature Linc land closed except by appointment

Dear Lincoln neighbors,

We understand that during these stressful times, access to green spaces is more important than ever. In the past few months, we’ve noticed an increasing number of neighbors using our private property for their walks, hikes, and runs as other town and state properties have closed.

Although we are always happy to provide a connection to nature for our neighbors, several recent incidents have created an unsafe environment for both our staff and tenants. As a result, it is with heavy hearts that we, the Farrington Nature Linc  staff and trustees, have decided we must formally close our property to anyone without explicit permission.

Signs will be posted at the entrance and where our property meets the LLCT trail head by Page Road. Please contact me at the phone number or email address below 24 hours before you would like access to our trails or land. We know that this is a change, and we appreciate your cooperation. We hope that this will only be temporary, but the safety of our staff and tenants is paramount.

Please share this information with anyone you know that uses our property and may not have seen this notice. Thank you for your help in keeping our property safe and sustainable! We hope to welcome you back to a Farrington event soon.

Sincerely,

Wendy S. Matusovich
Executive Director, Farrington Nature Linc
781-888-0868
wendy@naturelinc.org

Letter to the editor: Candidate DeLisi encourages all to vote in town election

Editor’s note: The Lincoln Squirrel collected and had begun publishing statements by the candidates for town office before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. A roundup for Planning Board candidates ran on March 5 and Water Commission candidates on March 8. The Squirrel will publish statements we received from other candidates in the coming weeks. The town election is now scheduled for Monday, June 15. See the penultimate paragraph of DeLisi’s letter for details on early voting and absentee ballots (the accuracy of this information has been verified by Town Clerk Valerie Fox).

To the editor:

It was just two short months ago that I was enthusiastically printing off flyers with my picture, creating posters to display at intersections, and sitting in the Twisted Tree speaking to residents — all to campaign for reelection to my seat on the Lincoln Planning Board.

As I now look back on those days and how life was filled with such “usual” daily activity and joys, the competition that I was about to enter seems so long past. We all struggle to make sense of how quickly life changed. Since that day in mid-March when I obtained special permission from my hospital to work remotely by seeing patients on Google Meets daily and taking care of all kinds of medical emergencies from the safety of my home office, I have had no time until now to reflect on past priorities. I now helplessly watch friends of relatives, some colleagues, and my own 97-year-old mother’s companions at The Commons pass away suddenly of  this new nightmarish illness called Covid-19, and I am trying to put it all in perspective.

Despite all that is happening around me, I still find happiness living in Lincoln. It is a beautiful, peaceful town with stars in night skies and wildlife, from birds to red foxes, roaming in open spaces. I have wonderful friends and neighbors here. We have great schools that we all care about, a historical center dating back further than the Revolutionary War, a national park, an art museum, well-marked nature trails, a nature center, several farms, and much more. Surely this viral epidemic will subside, although it will take time and leave behind many mental health sequelae for us all. Regardless, we will still have this unique town to live in and maintain.

This is all to say that I would truly like to remain on the Planning Board of Lincoln for another term in order to continue to contribute to the town in the best way I can. While I am not an architect by training nor a civil engineer, I do understand people and neighbors and neighborhoods. I believe the Planning Board needs people such as myself who will represent the interests of neighborhoods in whatever new developments are proposed and not simply be a proponent for his or her own preferences. I can promise you, if re-elected, I will support your interests above my own.

Please do vote in the upcoming Lincoln local election. You can vote early by mail using a two-step process. First, apply by downloading and completing this early voting application and send it to Town Clerk Valerie Fox at at 16 Lincoln Rd. or foxv@lincolntown.org. She will then mail you a ballot which you should complete and seal in the enclosed envelope provided, sign the affidavit on the envelope, and mail it back so that it’s received by the June 15 deadline. You can return it by U.S. mail, or put it in the mailbox outside the front door of Town Offices. You can also apply for an absentee ballot here and follow the same procedure for completing and returning it. Ballots will be counted on Election Day if they’re received by the time the polls close. 

If you have questions about any of my views or would like to discuss your concerns, I am available at delisi76@aol.com or 516-528-5366. Stay safe and healthy during these difficult days ahead and remember that times will be better.

Sincerely,

Lynn DeLisi
125 South Great Rd., Lincoln

Letter to the editor: heartfelt thanks to the Boy Scouts

A carload of food donations orchestrated by the Lincoln Boy Scouts.


To the editor:
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul (SVdP) would like to thank Lincoln Boy Scout Troop 127 for organizing a very successful food drive last week.  The Scouts delivered letters attached to grocery bags to Lincoln homes, outlining the needs of the Lincoln Food Pantry with a date and time for donation pickup. About a week later, the Scouts cruised these neighborhoods, acquiring 73 bags of food donations!
A terrific part of this particular food drive was that former Lincoln Boy Scouts who are currently living at home from college dusted off their badges to come together and participate in this service activity. I heard them say “Once a Scout, always a Scout.”
Coincidentally, our next food drive will be hosted by the Weston Boy Scouts. This is a wonderful display of “neighbors helping neighbors.” SVdP relies heavily on the generosity of our communities to do our work and the outpouring of support has been absolutely wonderful.  Thank you! And many thanks to Donelan’s Supermarket for donating the shopping bags for this project. 
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul of St Julia Parish works with people in need who live, work, or go to school in Lincoln or Weston. We are currently serving more than 230 people twice a month at the Lincoln Food Pantry located behind St Joseph’s Church. SVdP also offers emergency financial assistance to help with bills, rent, etc. 
Sincerely,
Tomasina Lucchese
Vice President of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Joseph Conference

If you or somebody you know is in need of food or emergency financial help, please reach out at 781-899-2611 ext. 4 or svdplincolnweston@gmail.com. This is a challenging time for many, and although it can be difficult to ask for help, we are here to support. Everything is kept completely confidential.

Letter to the editor: support the library by donating to FOLL

Dear Lincoln,

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Lincoln Public Library — now closed temporarily — is faced with new challenges. We, the Friends of the Lincoln Library (FOLL), are here to help. And we’re asking for your help, too.

Who are we? A nonprofit formed to provide financial assistance to the Lincoln Library. FOLL supplements the town’s library budget. Book sales at Bemis Hall and donations from Lincoln residents are our main sources of revenue. Last fiscal year, we contributed nearly $46,000 to fund programs, library passes, furnishings and the Tarbell Room hearing loop. Click here to see a full list of what we support.

Since our monthly book sales and other fundraisers are now on hold, we’re exploring new, revenue-generating ideas such as the installment of book donation bins as well as online book sales to compensate for lost income. But it’s not enough. In order to keep our beloved library vibrant and to adapt to these new circumstances, FOLL needs your financial donations now more than ever.

Why now? Although the library is closed, we kept our financial commitment to already-hired performers. The library staff is working with them to deliver online events or to find new performance dates. Our goal is to help keep our vendors solvent during the pandemic. Also, we continue to renew museum passes even though museums are closed. It’s our way of helping to ensure that our venerable cultural institutions remain viable.

We’ll continue our monthly board meetings (virtually) with Library Director Barbara Myles and Assistant Director Lisa Rothenberg to discuss ways to support remote library operations during these difficult times. Please consider showing your support by making a tax-deductible contribution today to the Friends of the Lincoln Library.

PayPal is the preferred method of payment. If paying by check, mail to: Friends of the Lincoln Library, 3 Bedford Rd., Lincoln MA, 01773. (Please note, since we currently have no access to mail at the library, there will be a delay in depositing checks and acknowledging donations sent there.)

Thank you! Stay well. Be safe.

Sincerely,

Daniela Caride on behalf of the Friends of the Lincoln Library board

 

 

Letter to the editor: COA grateful for donations

To the editor:

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging in response to our appeal here in the Squirrel. We appreciate your generosity! As we are reaching out in many different ways, some of you may receive a postal letter asking for a contribution as well. We didn’t cross-check our mailing list against our list of recent contributors, so if you’ve already donated, just know that we’re grateful and recycle that letter.

Sincerely,

Rhonda Swain
President, Friends of the Lincoln COA

Letter to the editor: thanks from food pantry

The restocked food pantry.

The restocked St. Vincent de Paul food pantry at St. Joseph’s.

To the editor:

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul would like to thank the First Parish in Lincoln’s Community Engagement and Service Task Force under the leadership of Margit Griffith and Sarah Bishop for organizing an amazing food drive. They got the information out, arranged for signup and drop off, and bagged and delivered food. It was a true success.

A special thank-you to the entire town for donating so generously. We received more bags of potatoes, apples, oranges, onions, and sweet potatoes than we can count. In addition, we received a large number of staple items, condiments, and snacks. The grocery bags will be distributed in the next few days, bringing much relief and many smiles. We are also grateful for the many generous monetary donations we have received. 

We are now serving approximately 200 people in Lincoln and Weston. In the coming days, Karen Boyce, our pantry chair, and her team will give out 500 bags of food. And in two weeks we will do it all over again.

If you are in need of food or financial emergency help with payment of bills, please reach out to us. This is a difficult time for many who, through no fault of their own, find themselves in a situation they could never have imagined. It’s hard to ask for help, but we are here to support you! Please call St. Julia office at 781-899-2611 and leave a message for St. Vincent de Paul and someone will call you back. For more information, go to stjulia.org/st-vincent-de-paul-society.

Sincerely,

Ursula Nowak
President of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Joseph Conference

Letter to the editor: there are no ventilators for our planet

To the editor:

Today (April 22) is the 50th year celebration of Earth Day, a day to celebrate Mother Earth and bring attention to the impact of human activity on climate change. Let Covid-19 serve as a global wake-up call. If nations are not prepared for a pandemic — whether it be a virus or rising seas — the threat will not wait.

After Donald Trump was elected president, a group of advisors from the Obama Administration met with a group of Trump advisers to bring them up to speed on protocols that were in place to meet three powerful threats — cyberattack, natural disasters, and pandemics. Each group was represented by about 30 advisers. The need for preparation and vigilance was emphasized. By the time the Covid-19 came to national attention, only about six of the original 30 advisors were still working in the Trump administration. And the U.S. Pandemic Response Team had been disbanded in 2018. No one was watching the store.

When Covid-19 exploded into Trump’s consciousness at the end of February, he called it another “hoax” propagated by the Democrats. “It’ll be over by April when it gets warm,” he promised. “It’s not going to be that bad. It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.” Well, it’s April.

This Virus Denier became a Virus Blamer, as if that would change the course of Covid-19. The virus paid no attention, nor will climate change.

The President promised to have a vaccine in a few months. Scientists say that is not possible. He said free tests are available everywhere and that protective coverings for hospital staff are widely available. The hospitals say it is not so. On March 11, the president spoke from the Oval Office, ostensibly to reassure the country. Never has a leader in this country spoken on so serious an issue with so little information, so little conviction, and so little empathy as Trump did that evening. The next day, the stock market suffered its biggest meltdown since the 1987 crash. And that got his attention.

As the coronavirus moves silently around the world, it leaves a screaming trail of destruction. The impact is immediate. When we emerge from its grip, however, the biggest pan-threat of all time still awaits our urgent attention: climate change. Let us pause to reflect on what the coronavirus has taught us. Imagine the threat. Listen to the experts. Be proactive.

To wait and watch (or ignore) is irresponsible. Every president since JFK has warned about climate change. Decades ago, Jimmy Carter and Al Gore spoke to us with conviction and empathy, warning of devastating climate changes, and the need to act to reverse the trends. Nixon signed the National Environmental Policy Act in 1970. Reagan focused on ozone depletion. Bush 41 created the National Climate Assessment and focused on acid rain. Clinton created the Climate Initiative. Bush 43 took a detour and pulled out of the Kyoto Accords. Obama negotiated and signed the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016.

The alarms went off but the batteries are dying as Trump undermines 60 years of achievements. There will come a point where the planet can no longer support us any more than our hospitals can support those infected by Covid-19. There are no ventilators for our planet. The only masks are the ones that cover our eyes.

Wake up, America. This is a test. Let the lack of preparation and the delayed response to the coronavirus be a warning. It is abundantly clear that the nations of the world are interdependent. If we are to save our one planet, we will have to change our ways. The United States cannot step away from global engagement. Climate change is neither a hoax nor a political issue. It is a fact of life that knows nothing of political affiliation. It is a “virus” created by humans which humans must cure. We the people of the world have to step up to ensure that we take the necessary preventative measures in time to save our one precious Planet that sustains all life. We have only one chance.

Sincerely,

Sarah Cannon Holden
Weston Road