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

My Turn

My Turn: “Lincoln, we have a problem,” says SC candidate Dwyer

Lincoln, we have a problem.

Why? Here are the numbers for K-8 Lincoln Public Schools from niche.com: 59% [of students are] proficient in math, 61% proficient in English. What grade do you get with 61% on a report card? You get an F for failure. We spent $13 million a year for our schools and this is what we get.

People with the ability to pay $40,000 a year take their kids out of Lincoln schools and put them in private schools like Fenn. You know many families that have done this.

We are not traditionally rigorous in teaching. One parent told me she “liked that her son was not pushed too hard in school.” This is a poor foundation which is a recipe for failure in future grades and in life.

I have a solution they will not cost any money:

  1. Written homework every night that is graded and handed back the next morning with a traditional percent grade.
  2. The final exam every week on what you learned that week.
  3. A report card every Monday morning with average scores of homework and grades on the final exam with a rank in class.

I experienced this program for three years in sixth, seventh, and eighth grade. Then I went through Central Catholic high school in Lawrence and  it was easy. I graduated with a degree in economics from Georgetown University and felt 100% confident that I could learn anything.

If these ideas makes sense to you, I ask for your vote on March 28 for Lincoln School Committee.

Thank you,

Joseph Dwyer
6 Emerson Rd., Lincoln
jaysp51d@gmail.com
603-560-1787

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Dozens more express support for Hutchinson

(Editor’s note: the signatories with asterisks below also signed this letter of support that was posted on March 21.)

While we are delighted that there is a contested race for Select, the Lincoln residents listed below are writing to endorse Jim Hutchinson for the Select Board. We think that Jim has the breadth and depth of experience that make him highly qualified for election to the Select Board. He has served as a member of the

  • Water Commission for two years and (currently chair)
  • Finance committee for seven years (chair for two years)
  • Subcommittees for several issues such as the process for placing solar panels on the schools
  • Green Energy Committee for eight years
  • Codman Board for three years as treasurer

Jim has a thoughtful, inclusive and collaborative approach exemplified in his service on the various town committees. His colleagues on the Finance Committee, Water Commission, and Green Energy Committee, who have enthusiastically endorsed him, describe Jim as a problem solver, a person who can balance costs and benefits, and a leader in complex decision making. In our collective view, he is an outstanding candidate for the Lincoln Select Board.

Town elections are Monday, March 28 at the Smith gym or you can vote by mail. We hope you will join us and vote for Jim Hutchinson.

Sincerely,

Michelle Barnes*
Ken Bassett
Cynthia Bencal
Laura Berland
Dan Boynton
Janet Boynton
Irene Briedis
Alex Chatfield
Christine Damon
Robert DeNormandie
Lorraine Fiore
Gina Halsted
Roy Harvey
Ken Hurd
Sonja Johansson
Joan Kimball
John Kimball
Barbara Leggat
Jackie Lenth*
Connie Lewis
Mary Helen Lorenz
Emily Lovering
Rachel Mason
Margaret McLaughlin
Marion Meenan
Travis Roland
Al Rossiter
Ellen Meyer Shorb
Paul Shorb
Barbara Slayter
Bill Stason
Susan Stason
Jeannine Taylor*
Dilla Tingley
Mary Jo Veling
Peter Von Mertens*
 

My Turn: Vote yes on fossil fuels measure at Town Meeting

To the editor:

Twenty-five years ago, Emily and I made the great decision to raise our family in Lincoln. We chose a town that celebrated its history and made bold commitments to the community’s future. We have loved the trails and open spaces. We have appreciated the commitments to educating children and supporting our elders. We are excited to grow old here.

I am excited to support Article 31 at town meeting this Saturday. This article follows through on town commitments: to our collective health, the well-being of our planet, and the values we have already embraced. This article will help us reduce our dependence on fossil fuels for heating and cooking. New construction (home building and major renovations) that shifts us from natural gas and oil to electric power will help us to reduce carbon emissions.

Our town, our Commonwealth, and our country have made commitments to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our public health officials have warned us about the risks of exposure to fossil fuels and the compounds that result from combusting these fuels. Having enjoyed the benefits of electric heat pumps for the last three years — I can say with confidence that moving into a 21st-century mode of heating is a good idea!

In the last 25 years we haven’t suffered wildfires and catastrophic weather. While so many parts of the world have suffered from the ravages of climate change, we haven’t faced hardship. For our collective health in Lincoln and for all the people whose lives will be improved by reducing demand for fossil fuels, I hope you can make it to Town Meeting to vote for Article 31. Lincoln’s future was bright 25 years ago; let’s take some bold steps to ensure the next 25 years are bright too.

With thanks,

Tom Haslett
26 Baker Bridge Rd.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Three dozen residents urge support for Rajdev

We write to endorse Kim Rajdev for election to the Lincoln School Committee.

Since moving to Lincoln five years ago with her husband and two young girls (now entering third grade and kindergarten), Kim has taken an active role in supporting the Lincoln schools. She has volunteered as a room parent in K-4 and served as a legal advisor to Lincoln Nursery School as part of the parent cooperative. Consequently, she is familiar with the challenges and issues of the Lincoln school system.

We believe that it is valuable to have Kim, an engaged parent who has the interest, experience, and professional background to contribute to the governance of Lincoln’s schools. As an engineer and lawyer, she will bring both analytical and consensus-building skills to complement those of other members of the committee.

Kim’s open, respectful style invites dialogue on important issues such as the implementation of LPS Anti-Racism, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity (AIDE) policy. She is clearly focused on enabling a school environment that encourages curiosity and high academic engagement along with a welcoming and inclusive approach to student life. As part of the Lincoln School Committee, she will be attentive to these opportunities and challenges.

Town elections are Monday, March 28. Please join us in voting for Kim Rajdev for a position on the Lincoln School Committee.

Sincerely,

Tim Barclay
Cindy Bencal
Laura Berland
Janet Boynton
Gus Browne
Tom Casey
Timothy Christenfeld
Christine Damon
Priscilla Damon
Gary Davis
Jerry Gechter
Mark Hochman
Ken Hurd
Peter Hussey
Herman Karl
Joan Kimball
John Kimball
Barbara Leggat
Connie Lewis
Mary Helen Lorenz
Gwyn Loud
Emily Lovering
Sara Mattes
Margaret McLaughlin
Marion Meenan
Ellen Milan
Travis Roland
Jackey Sasso
Al Schmertzler
Paul Shorb
Barbara Slayter
Bill Stason
Mary Stechschulte
Dean Stillings
Dilla Tingley
Katy Walker
 

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Payne endorses Hutchinson for Select Board

Fellow residents,

I’m writing to endorse Jim Hutchinson for Select Board, and I urge you to vote for him in the town election on March 28 (the Monday after Town Meeting).

This is an easy endorsement to write: I’ve worked with Jim closely for a number of years on Lincoln’s Finance Committee and other town projects, and I’m constantly impressed with his expertise and understanding of financial and management issues in our town. Residents may not fully understand how much he’s led and contributed, from a revised OPEB “level-budgeting” policy at FinCom, to playing a key role reviewing and negotiating our complex solar power purchase agreements for our new school building, to learning the municipal water business (probably more than he bargained for!) and getting operations there back on track.

When Jim was talking to me about joining FinCom, he said (paraphrasing), “If you want to understand how a town really works, follow the finances.” While there’s much more to the Select Board than just business and finance stuff, I have a hard time imagining someone with a better perspective and instinct on Lincoln’s opportunities, challenges, issues, and constraints than Jim. He’s been a model for volunteering, analytical thinking, active listening, problem-solving, dry humor, and “giving back.” We’re all lucky to have him.

After I wrote this, a few other residents that feel the same way about Jim asked to add their names below. We all urge you to vote for Jim in the March 28 Select Board election.

Sincerely,

Andy Payne
83 Tower Rd.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Shepard seeks support for election as library trustee

Dear fellow Lincolnites,

I am running for the position of trustee of the Lincoln Library. Although the race is uncontested, I ask for your support.

As a trustee, I support the library’s vision to be “recognized as one of the town’s premier intellectual and cultural centers, serving as a focus for lifelong learning and literacy.” I know firsthand the important link libraries play in nurturing a community’s social, informational, cultural, and intellectual life. After retiring from educational publishing, I launched an encore writing career for young readers. I have given many books and writing workshops at public and school libraries as an author.

I served on the Friends of the Lincoln Library for six years, including one year as chair. And I represent Lincoln on the Massachusetts Special Commission of the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution.

I look forward to supporting civic Lincoln as a library trustee by working collaboratively with other trustees, library staff, town departments, and organizations to manage our iconic New England library building and grounds that anchor Lincoln’s Historical District. Thank you in advance for your support.

Sincerely,

Ray Shepard
37 Beaver Pond Rd., Lincoln

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Marshall urges voters to reelect Endyke-Doran

(Editor’s note: Nancy Marshall is a former L-S School Committee member.)

To the editor:

I write this letter today as a private citizen. This year’s race for Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee is contested, with three candidates, including Cara Endyke-Doran, the current chair, running for one of the two open positions. Lincoln’s vote for Cara this year is extremely critical in ensuring a balance of views on the committee, long-lens institutional perspective in School Committee deliberations, and a focus on how Lincoln and Sudbury can best support our regional high school. Please mark your calendars to attend the upcoming candidates’ forum here in Lincoln in the newly renovated Donaldson Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 16 and remember to vote on Monday, March 28 in the Reed (Brooks) gym at Lincoln School. 

I am formally endorsing Cara Endyke-Doran for re-election to the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional School Committee. Cara has worked in the international public health sector for many years; she has a dual master’s degree in public health and nursing. She is also the parent of four children, two of whom have graduated from L-S and two who are/will be students there.

Cara has leaned into both her professional credentials and her own parenting experiences throughout the Covid pandemic. Her calm and attentive leadership has shepherded the LSSC and the district through these last two years with grounded information and clear communication to constituents. Cara’s hard work and commitment have helped L-S to continue educating our high schoolers, to support more acute social and emotional needs arising from the pandemic, and to keep students and staff as protected from the virus as possible. Cara led the Covid-19 Testing Subcommittee at the onset of the pandemic during her very first year on the committee. Through her strong advocacy, L-S was one of the first schools in the state to offer Covid-19 testing to all its students and staff.

The L-S School Committee has accomplished a great deal over the past three years, hiring an excellent Director of Finance and Operations in Kirsteen Patterson, reviewing and revising the complete School Committee policy manual, and considering new and amended L-S curricula in an increasingly global and mindful context. This year, the School Committee successfully negotiated a new three-year collective bargaining agreement that considers what is fair in the context of annual budgeting alongside the talents of our terrific L-S faculty and staff. In this late/post-Covid environment, where teachers and school administrators across the U.S. are leaving their jobs permanently in droves, striking a relational and equitable balance and reinforcing the quality of teaching and commitment of time to our students is vital. 

And there is always more to do. Cara’s continued, committed leadership, given her initiative and accrued understanding of process and knowledge of School Committee governance, will be an asset for both towns.

Cara is committed to Lincoln-Sudbury and has ensured the committee is operating in the best interest of our students, staff, parents, and broader communities. She has respectfully listened and taken into account the sometimes widely differing perspectives from the three communities of Lincoln, Sudbury, and Boston, as well as our commonalities, in shaping how we understand and appreciate L-S day-to-day.

Sincerely,

Nancy Marshall 
Beaver Pond Road

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Flags at half-staff for the late Tom Billings

To Lincoln residents:

The flags on town buildings are at half-staff in recognition of the passing of Tom Billings, a longtime resident and active town volunteer. Tom died suddenly in his Lincoln home on March 9 from cardiac arrest. Kind, modest and intelligent, Tom was much loved and respected in Lincoln and everywhere he went. Almost from the time Tom and his wife Penny moved to Lincoln in 1983, they became involved as volunteers on town boards and committees.

An enthusiastic conservationist, Tom was a member of the Conservation Commission for many years. He later became a Library trustee and served in that role until he was appointed to the bench as a Justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court in 2001 and had to step down from other positions he held. Tom retired from the court in 2019. He loved and never tired of Lincoln and its beauty, walking around town almost daily. We are grateful for Tom’s contributions to and influence on our community.

We join with Tom’s many friends in expressing our sympathies to his wife Penny, their son Jamie, and their family. He will be greatly missed.

For the town,

Jonathan Dwyer, Select Board Chair
Tim Higgins, Town Administrator

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Vote for Maura Carty for L-S School Committee

To the editor:

It is with great pleasure that I recommend Maura Carty for the position of L-S Regional School Committee member for the Lincoln-Sudbury school system.

I met Maura when our daughters played together for the Lincoln-Sudbury High School girls’ varsity hockey team. This is when I first came to greatly admire her as a person, as well as her unrelenting commitment to volunteering.

Over the time I have known Maura, I have been amazed at her ability to bring people together to work toward a common goal. I continue to witness firsthand her commitment to others through her countless hours volunteering as a team parent. Her hard work and dedication to our girls and their families creates a strong unity and cohesiveness within the group. Our experiences with Maura have shown us that she is an excellent leader who listens and fully considers options before making informed and thoughtful decisions. 

Maura is passionate about our children, our community, and the Lincoln-Sudbury school system. I was thrilled to hear of Maura’s candidacy for this position because she is a person who cares deeply about the quality of education for our children and is someone who will advocate fairly and in the best interest of the students, families, teachers, and administrators in our district.

With her positive energy and enthusiasm, Maura always strives to make a difference and inspires others to make a difference. Her work ethic, along with her organizational, and interpersonal skills, demonstrates that she would make an excellent choice for School Committee member.

I hope this letter will help you get to know my friend Maura Carty better, and that you will give strong consideration to her as I encourage the entire community to join me in support of her candidacy for School Committee. 

Sincerely,

Paula F. Angelini, DPM
14 Old Winter St., Lincoln

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Vote for Hogue for Select Board

Dear Lincoln,

I am writing today in support of Adam Hogue’s efforts to be elected to Lincoln’s Select Board. I met Adam and his family last summer and had the opportunity to do a few a jobs for them. Through conversations and other interactions, I have found Adam to be very respectful, fair-minded, and very dedicated to Lincoln. As he has stated in his March 9 letter, he has a passion for serving.

I am very confident that should he be elected to the Select Board, he will carryout his functions with the judiciousness and integrity required.

Kind regards,

Donald Fonseca
1 Mary’s Way

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.