letters to the editor

To the editor:

A number of years ago, Lincoln spent more than a few Town Meetings discussing liquor in Lincoln. It certainly existed and was consumed. But it was not sold here, either for consumption elsewhere or in restaurants. Some thought to change that would forever change the character of the town for the worse. Some thought it would reflect reality and offer change for the better. But nowhere in the debates did we have to consider whether or not alcohol was bad for kids. It was accepted that alcohol (and tobacco) where not healthy for growing minds and bodies. The debate was about how the presence of alcohol sales and in restaurant consumption would affect our community.

It’s hard to believe how passionate those debates were, and how divided we were. Today, we have the sale of alcohol in Lincoln. Adults have purchased and enjoyed cocktails, wine and beer in a Lincoln restaurant. We host a vintner and have vineyards dotting hillsides. And alcohol is regulated to ensure it does not fall into the hands of underage children at the point of sale.

So it is puzzling to me that we cannot trust ourselves to be equally successful in regulating aspects of marijuana production and sale, without a change in bylaws that create a broadly worded ban that may have unintended consequences. And as to the growing, I am curious to know why our existing bylaws will not be effective to regulate the size and operation of any potential marijuana farm, if it is to exist in a large greenhouse, as they do. We have setback requirements and lighting bylaws. And do we not have some potential for regulation of water usage?

Also, while greenhouses, large and small, have been part of Lincoln’s agricultural legacy, few exist today, in part because of these very bylaws. In fact, there are few parcels large enough to accommodate a commercial operation. And those parcels are primarily owned by the town and managed by our Conservation Commission. What other parcels are there that could host such a grow operations and be outside our direct control? Are we reacting to a problem that does not currently and may never exist?

Finally, is there a danger to create a bylaw expressly designed to ban a particular form of agriculture? As a previous submission to LincolnTalk argued, cattle pose an environmental and dietary health threat. Might they be next? Would we be setting a precedent to begin to selectively ban specific agricultural activities?

We must also remember that a majority of us voted at the ballot box to make both medicinal and recreational marijuana legal in the Commonwealth, though a more recent town survey expressed a contradictory opinion. Should we respect the will of the voter in the ballot box, creating a legally binding law, or opinions expressed in a nonbinding survey? Do the current proposed bylaws under consideration work to thwart the will of the voters, as expressed at the ballot? This is also the debate at the state level, where elected and appointed officials have been at odds with the expressed will of the people.

It is ironic that we are having this debate as our neighbors to the north, known for their common sense, civility and safe communities, have legalized marijuana throughout the country. What do they know that we don’t? Are we rewinding and replaying the debate over alcohol? Is it necessary? Have we not learned anything in the last 10+ years? Is this a sensible thing to do?

Sincerely,

Sara Mattes
71 Conant Rd., Lincoln

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters 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.

To the editor:

It’s been said many times that law making in a democracy is a lot like making sausage. So why, then, do we have indigestion? All of us! No matter if you eat your sausage plain, or with peppers and onions; or whether you vote Republican, Democrat or independent—we need a bottle of Tums by our side while watching the news.

Chefs will tell you that what makes a good sausage is a balance of meat, fat, and spice. No one flavor should dominate. When corporations are allowed to spend unlimited amounts of money on campaigns, the mixture has too much fat. I urge you to vote YES on 2 and restore balance to our democracy.

A YES vote on Question 2 will add Massachusetts to the growing list of red and blue states calling for a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and a permanent ban on corporate spending in politics. No more weak campaign finance laws, no more ill-advised Supreme Court decisions—just the will of people to get big money out of government. Keep the flavor of fairness in this sausage of democracy! Vote YES on 2.

Sincerely,

Julie Brogan
88 Old Sudbury 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 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.

To the editor:

Did you see the August 15 letter to the editor from Amanda Smith? She is the Lincoln stormwater specialist. And if you’re like me, and didn’t know that Lincoln had a stormwater specialist, or even what a stormwater specialist is, I encourage you to read Amanda’s very informative, very friendly description of her role in helping to manage Lincoln’s stormwater setups, issues, and, uh, catastrophes. (My choice of the word “catastrophe” is based on my own growing awareness of the bizarre changes in our weather.)

Reading Amanda’s letter will also help you be prepared for running into her, either on your own property, nearby, or out in the wild places. Her photo, which accompanies her letter, makes her look both engaging and technically prepared for the complex task she describes.

I’m hoping that I’ll be one of the Lincolnites who gets to meet her—here, there, and possibly everywhere—and that you will be, too.

Sincerely,

Toby Frost
14 Woodcock Lane, Lincoln

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters 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.

To the editor:

Last year, a friend suggested we stream a movie on Netflix by Ava DuVernay called 13th. The movie title refers to the 13th amendment, which forbids involuntary servitude—thus ending slavery—except as a punishment for crimes. DuVernay’s documentary forcefully demonstrates the perpetuation of slavery since the Civil War through the criminalizing of behavior and convict leasing. The footage is raw and painful, and the interviews are powerful and moving.

Having opened my eyes to the injustice in our criminal legal system, I set out to learn more. The more I learned, the more troubled I became. I learned about the injustice of imposing bail on defendants charged with minor infractions who are too poor to pay, resulting in pre-trial incarceration. I learned that these defendants often lose their homes, jobs, and even their children due to their incarceration. I learned that in Massachusetts, young adults make up 10 percent of the general population but nearly 30 percent of people arrested. I learned that Massachusetts incarcerates people of color at a rate over five times that of whites. 

And importantly, I learned that the DA’s office is the key to reforming the criminal justice system. While the recent Massachusetts justice reform legislation was a significant step in the right direction, the power to bring charges, impose bail, recommend sentencing, provide evidence, and set prosecutorial policies still rest with the District Attorney.

This is why I’m supporting Donna Patalano for Middlesex DA. Donna understands the legal implications of the criminal justice system from both sides as she served as both defense attorney and as a prosecutor. Donna is committed to:

• Expanding the use of diversion and restorative justice programs
• Focusing on ways to reduce the incarceration of young people by creating a Juvenile and Emerging Adult Bureau
• Increasing transparency and equality by collecting and releasing data on prosecutions
• Prioritizing fairness and ethical prosecutions over severity of sentencing

Donna vision is to transform the District Attorney’s office into one that values transparency, accountability, fairness, racial justice, community engagement and fiscal integrity and she has the experience to make it happen. I hope you’ll join me in voting for Donna in the Democratic primary on September 4.

Sincerely,

Laura Berland
Hillside Rad, Lincoln

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters 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.

(Editor’s note: Jay Peledge is a teacher at Hanscom Middle School.)

To the editor:

Thanks to the ongoing generous support from the Bedford Cultural Council and Lincoln Cultural Council (local agencies supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency), Hanscom Middle School students were again able to visit two local cultural icons. These place-based experiences are incredibly valuable to the learning experiences of our students who often move from base to base every two to three years, sometimes sooner than that. As such, the school works to engage students in what our local cultural institutions offer while our students are with us.

The Bedford Cultural Council and Lincoln Cultural Council have consistently supported our students in these endeavors over the years, and this year was no exception. With their ongoing support, it is not likely we could offer both experiences to our students.

Back in December, seventh-graders had the opportunity to visit the Harvard Museum of Natural History as well as the Semitic Museum on Harvard University’s campus. The museum visit included time in the exhibit halls, but also an hour plus program on how archaeologists and others chronicle artifacts reflecting the evolution of hominins. This hands-on experience encouraged students to use their own skills and content knowledge from our prehistory unit to determine the effective species of each sample used.

More recently, the class traveled to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston that hosts an incredible ancient civilizations collection. Having now studied much of the classical civilizations of the ancient past, docents were able to further students’ understanding of the worlds of ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and more as they navigated the students through their impressive galleries. Staff and students alike raved about their time at the MFA.

We look forward to returning to both museums in the years to come and hope that we continue to receive the generous support from the Bedford and Lincoln Cultural Councils that have so selflessly benefited us to date.

Sincerely,

Jay Peledge
Reading, Mass.

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Letters 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.

Joanna Hopkins

To the editor:

After 40 years as a resident of Lincoln, Joanna Hopkins is moving across the country to reside in San Francisco where her daughter and family are assuring not only a smooth transition to life in the West, but also occasional trips to the Lake Tahoe area for hiking or cross-country skiing.

It is almost impossible to imagine someone more engaged and civic minded than Joanna, and Lincoln’s loss will most certainly be San Francisco’s gain. Joanna and her husband Mike Tannert, who passed away in 2017, first came to Lincoln in 1978. Almost immediately upon arrival, they helped launch the Lincoln Adventurers, a group of about 20. which twice a year for many years headed to the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the fall for hiking and enjoying the foliage and in the winter for downhill or cross-country skiing. Moreover, during two decades in Lincoln, Joanna and Mike led more than 15 skiing and hiking trips to Switzerland, Germany, and Austria as volunteers for the Appalachian Mountain Club. Some Lincoln residents joined them on these trips.

In the early 2000s, Joanna became involved with the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee (LDTC) which she eventually co-chaired with Ilana Newell for several years. Joanna was an early supporter of Deval Patrick for governor and Barack Obama for president. She continues to serve to the present day on its executive committee, offering thoughtful perspectives on critical topics.

Lincoln resident Laura Berland describes moving to Lincoln in 2005, getting involved with the Lincoln Democrats, and finding Joanna’s encouragement, deep knowledge of the issues, and energy a tremendous inspiration as she (Laura) deepened her own involvement in progressive politics, and eventually herself became co-chair of the LDTC. 

And there’s more! An active member of the Council on Aging, Joanna served as chair of the COA Trip Committee and participated in the COA Memoirs Group. Her memoir is an ongoing project. She has served as treasurer for Codman Community Farm and as a member of the Peace and Justice Committee of the First Parish in Lincoln.  She was an enthusiastic participant in setting up a monthly discussion group of some 16-18 friends which has been active for over 20 years. And as if there isn’t enough going on in her life, three years ago with Peggy Schmertzler, she established a Lincoln Book Group comprised of 12 Lincoln residents.

In addition, Joanna is keenly concerned about women’s equality and well-being. As a graduate of Harvard’s MA Program in Soviet Regional Studies, she has recently served on the Committee for the Equality of Women at Harvard.  She also works in other ways on behalf of women and their interests from funding Emily’s List to collecting toiletries and other items for donation to women in local domestic violence shelters. 

Joanna has brought an amazing background to her various interests. Raised in Pittsburgh, she graduated from Smith College with a major in English and has a PhD from Columbia University in Russian language and literature. In 1959 she served as a Russian-speaking guide at the first American exhibition in Moscow. In the 1960s, she researched her dissertation in Leningrad on a Ford Foundation Fellowship, and, even today, readily retrieves the fine points of many a Russian novelist, poet, or political philosopher. She has enjoyed a varied career that included writing reports on the Soviet Union for the White House, teaching at Yale and Fordham Universities, as well as work in human resource and financial management in high tech companies in the Boston area, retiring from Digital Equipment Corp. in 1997. 

Greatly appreciated for her thoughtful analysis of public affairs, her excellent memory, and her capacity to articulate her ideas and positions, Joanna’s departure will leave a big gap among her Lincoln colleagues and friends. In fact, there’s no one who will be able to quote a New York Times editorial or a Paul Krugman op-ed piece with such precision and enthusiasm. No doubt her energies and perspectives will find a congenial spot in San Francisco. We wish her bon voyage and a happy landing in her new home.

Sincerely,

Barbara Slayter
7 Trapelo Rd., Lincoln