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

letters to the editor

Letter to the editor: Vote for Conroy and Healey

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To the editor:

At the Democratic Nominating Convention in June, delegates from Lincoln and other neighbor towns cast an overwhelming majority of votes for Tom Conroy for state treasurer and for Maura Healey for attorney general. Now it’s the voters’ turn on September 9.

Conroy and Healey are running separately, but they share some common traits. Both are by far the most professionally qualified and experienced candidates for their respective offices. The Boston Globe and several other local newspapers have endorsed both Conroy and Healey. A Boston Globe editorial on September 1 says of Conroy that he is “…the candidate who is best prepared to perform the treasurer’s duties—and is most interested in doing so.” Another Globe editorial that day says of Healey that her “…clearer focus on the core responsibilities of the office, coupled with her evident tenacity and discerning legal mind, make her the superior choice.”

Healey, already a proven leader in the attorney general’s office, has also been a prosecutor and a civil rights attorney. She is the only candidate who is an experienced law enforcement professional. Visit her website at www.maurahealey.com to learn more. Conroy is the only candidate with unmatched education and experience in economics and finance in both the public and private sectors, and the legislature. Visit his website at www.tomconroy.org to learn more.

Please join me in voting for Tom Conroy for treasurer and Maura Healey for attorney general on at the primary election on September 9.

Sincerely,

Gary Davis, Lincoln Democratic Town Committee
20R Indian Camp Lane

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: Vote in primary on Sept. 9

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To the editor:

Yes, primary elections do matter, and the September 9 election in particular will determine leadership in the major statewide offices for several years to come. On September 9, voters will decide which of the candidates will move forward to the General Election on November 4.

For many months, the candidates and their supporters have been working hard all across the Commonwealth to become known to voters and to win votes. They have tried to define positions on the important issues that face the Commonwealth, and to listen to voters. One source of information about the candidates are the video records of candidate forums held earlier this year as sponsored and organized by the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee. These forums featured all candidates for the four major statewide office races including governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general and state treasurer. You can watch videos of these forums on the Lincoln Cable TV website. Under the “All Folders” tab, select “Political.” Further information about most candidates can be found on the Politics1 website at www.politics1.com/ma.htm.

In addition to the four major statewide offices, Democratic candidates for regional races are:

  • State Senate, 3rd Middlesex district — Mike Barrett
  • State Representative, 9th Middlesex district — Tom Stanley
  • Middlesex District Attorney — Marian Ryan and Michael Sullivan

September 9 will be here before we know it. It’s up to us to fulfill the promise of democracy, to become informed, and to VOTE on September 9.

Sincerely,

Gary Davis, Lincoln Democratic Town Committee
20R Indian Camp Lane

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: Support Berwick for governor

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To the editor:

Don Berwick, Democratic candidate for Massachusetts governor, sets bold goals:

  • Single-payer health care
  • An education system that gives every student the opportunity to succeed
  • Bold renewable energy and environmental standards
  • Jobs and an economy that gives everyone the chance to thrive
  • An end to child poverty and chronic homelessness
  • No casinos
  • Grassroots supportive progressive movement

But every politician says he/she will accomplish miracles if elected to office—why do I believe Don can do it? First, Berwick is committed to meeting his goals. He boasts that he can accomplish all of them in 10 years—all of them. Second, as a pediatrician, executive and leader, Don has mastered the skills to deliver what he promises:

  • MD from Harvard Medical School
  • Pediatrician, Boston’s Children’s Hospital and Harvard Community Health Plan
  • Founder, nonprofit Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), 1991:
    • IHI’s current annual budget is $40 million, staff of 150
    • IHI projects have saved hundreds of thousands of lives nationally and internationally
    • knighted by Queen Elizabeth for making British health care more efficient, 2005
  • Administrator of U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 2010:
    • $800 billion budget, staff of over 5,500
    • implemented important provisions of Affordable Care Act
  • Only candidate for governor to state that he opposes casinos

Third, Don Berwick sees Massachusetts as a beacon to lead our nation to the progressive ideals of justice, equality and compassion. The Commonwealth is the first state that committed to health care as a human right, that said you can marry whom you love, that built an enviable energy system, and that now has the most sane gun laws in the country.

Grassroots supportive progressive movement: Don needs us. He is calling for a grassroots movement to spread out across our state to educate Massachusetts voters about Don Berwick and his progressive agenda. Help our Lincoln grassroots team hand-address, note and stamp preprinted postcards to voters identified by the Berwick campaign office. Please contact Peggy Schmertzler at alpegs@verizon.net or 781-259-0465.

Sincerely,

Peggy Schmertzler
142 Chestnut Circle

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: Strat’s playground coming down

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(Editor’s note: for background, see the Lincoln Squirrel, June 18, 2014.)

To the editor:

After careful review and consideration, the Parks and Recreation Department is sad announce the permanent closure and removal of the Strat’s Playground on Ballfield Road.

In April 2014, the department authorized a safety inspection of the Playground. The resulting report cited a number of ADA violations and hazards ranging from minor infractions to major safety concerns that may result in death or permanent injury.

In addition to the hazards cited in the inspection, other deficiencies exist.  Most notably, the playground is constructed of pressure treated lumber, which contains a pesticide that requires the entire playground be sealed every few years at significant cost. Additionally, Strat’s design is suitable for children ages 5-12, but since it is adjacent to two preschools it sees limited use and is no longer a good fit for its location. And lastly, with the changing nature of safety codes and the limited lifespan of wood products, this playground has become prohibitively expensive to maintain. Taking this all into account, it became apparent that there would be no way to address these deficiencies in a way that is fiscally or programmatically responsible.

These deficiencies do not reflect a lack of quality in the playground, but rather the inevitable effect of time. Strat’s was a state-of-the-art facility when it was installed in 1989 and has served as a well-loved community centerpiece and memorial to the late Michael Stratton.

The playground will be removed in the next few weeks and the Parks and Recreation Committee now plans to spend some time considering alternative uses for the space. We invite interested parties to join the process by contacting our office at 781-259-0784. Thank you.

Sincerely,

Daniel Pereira
Parks and Recreation Director

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: Great 5th of July!

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To the editor:

Even though there could not be 4th of July road race or parade in Lincoln this year, the Celebrations crew, public safety, Parks & Recreation and DPW were all ready to go. The 5th of July band and fireworks were terrific as usual, and I wanted to acknowledge the effort that town staff and volunteers invested in making it safe and successful.

Thank you to our police and fire department personnel, DPW employees, Dan Pereira and the rest of the Parks & Rec staff, and Hanscom’s police for being creative, proactive and doing it right.

Thanks to volunteers Aaron “Smiles” Beck, Brent “Señor Sound” Clark, Maggie “Peggy Peg Peg” Dwyer, Michela “Call Me Maybe” Eckhouse (left out of phone tree), Jen “Next Year” Flanagan, “Shoutin’ Sam” Kupperstein, Riley “Tank Top” McCabe, Eileen “The Cape Flier” McCrory, Eve “CUL8R” Montie, Paul “Rooster Booster” Montie, Lyn “Staples” Spaeth (“yeah, I’ve got that”), and Nick Verkler (a.k.a. Nerk Vickler). We had fun. We got it done. It was a great day.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Dwyer
14 Beaver Pond Rd.
Lincoln Parks & Recreation Committee + Celebrations Subcommittee

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: Uphold First Parish decision

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(Editor’s note: The First Parish Church will go before the Zoning Board of Appeals on June 19 to appeal the Planning Board’s denial of the its request to extend one side of the Stearns Room—see the Lincoln Squirrel, May 15, 2014.)

To the editor:

Ever since the 1700s, Lincoln residents have been concerned about development pressures and carefully crafted thoughtful mechanisms to preserve their beloved agrarian community. In the 1730s, area farmers led by the Flint family began a lengthy effort to separate and remain agrarian. The first step was to convince the Great and General Court that there was a need to be a distinct, self-governing community. The key lay in establishing that travel to existing parishes was prohibitive during certain seasons. Thus, they should be able to create their own parish, easily accessible to area farmers. Land was donated by the Flint family for both a parish building and for a cemetery.

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Letter to the editor: Thanks for car wash help

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Dear Lincolnites,

On behalf of the Lincoln School 8th-grade class and the parent committee working with them to plan graduation activities, I want to thank you for your incredible generosity at last weekend’s car wash at Town Offices. The students were able to raise a record $1,900! This money will be used to purchase spectator benches that will go on the Codman and Smith Fields, where at present there is no place for fans to sit. Any money that is left over will be donated to the Legacy Fund, which helps to ensure that all children, regardless of financial circumstance, are to go on class field trips to the Museum of Science and Washington, D.C.

Thank you for getting your cars washed, buying our baked goods and simply making donations.

Sincerely,

Julie Dobrow
103 Conant Rd.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic, will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Letter to the editor: Support hospice project

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To the editor:

I am writing to invite you to join me in supporting a meaningful and important project in Lincoln.

As you may know, Care Dimensions, a nonprofit organization with 35 years of experience in hospice care, has purchased land on Winter Street on the Waltham/Lincoln line to build a beautiful inpatient Hospice Center to provide medical, emotional, social and spiritual care for people in their final days of life.

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Letter to the editor: Mourning Dr. Keevil

Editor’s note: There will be a memorial service for Dr. Keevil on May 25 at 2 p.m. in the First Parish Church in Lincoln. You can also read his obituary and a story about a 2013 award he received from Emerson Hospital.

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To the editor:

With deep sadness, I read of the passing of Dr. Charles (“Chuck”) Keevil. He was a gem of a human being and part of the essential fabric of our community.

For many decades, he was the primary care physician for many hundreds of Lincoln residents. He cared for me for more than 35 years, until advancing age caused him to begin to downsize his practice and he encouraged me to transition to another physician.

He was not only a good physician but a compassionate person whose kindly smile and calm style provided reassurance along with medical advice, sometimes accompanied by practical tips that hearkened back to his military experience with a twinkle in his eye. He had a gentle way with words that was unique.

His medical career spanned an era of great change in the business of healthcare. He was still making house calls when I began seeing him, and I can still recall the comforting feeling of Chuck examining me in my own bed.

As my legal career specializing in healthcare organizations evolved, we enjoyed discussing the rapidly changing business of healthcare. It was no surprise to me that Chuck was one of the first community-based physicians to become corporately-affiliated with Partners Health Care’s physician organization in the late 1990s.

Chuck was also interested in classical music and took great interest in my wife Diane’s career as a pianist and my son Jacob’s development as a professional cellist. Chuck eagerly attended their Bemis Hall concert about 15 years ago.

His passing leaves a hole in our town’s soul, but the memories of a true gentleman-physician will endure. Thank you, Chuck, and heartfelt condolences to his family.

Sincerely,

Peter Braun
16 Trapelo Road

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters must be about a Lincoln-specific topic. Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published. Letters may be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor.