The Lincoln Squirrel

News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

My Turn

My Turn: Vote Mara Dolan for Governor’s Council

By Barbara Slayter

On Tuesday, Sept. 3, Lincoln voters choosing the Democratic primary ballot will find only one office for which the incumbent is contested.  This is the office of Governor’s Councillor representing the Governor’s Council District 3 that includes a swath of cities and towns to the west of Boston, among them Lincoln.

I urge all those voting in the Democratic primary to cast their ballot for Mara Dolan. She seeks to replace Marilyn Petitto Devaney, who has served on the Council as representative from district 3 for 25 years. Mara Dolan would bring to the position:

  • Extensive experience as a public defender
  • Professional qualifications for confirming judges, parole board members, and commutations and pardons, all Governor’s Council responsibilities
  • Determination to defend women’s reproductive rights
  • Support for humane, science-based policies for addiction recovery
  • Support for raising the age for Juvenile Court jurisdiction
  • A commitment to transparency in government

Having attended a debate between Devaney and Dolan at the Concord Public Library in June, where, indeed, the sparks did fly, having heard both speak at several local Democratic gatherings, and having perused their websites and records, I have concluded that Mara Dolan is far and away the stronger candidate. The Boston Globe has come to the same conclusion and has endorsed Dolan.  Despite Marilyn Devaney’s long service — and perhaps also because of it — I urge you to cast your vote next Tuesday, Sept. 3 for Mara Dolan for Governor’s Councillor representing District 3.

“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 Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.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: Did you get Trump’s strategy?

By Alexander Creighton

What a clever strategy Donald Trump’s MAGA advisors pulled off to overwhelm and beat down President Joe Biden last Thursday night! They knew Orange Man would not have an open mic to heckle and harass as he did four years ago. And Biden, most likely too overprepared at Camp David, was left to his own memory without prompter or notes to stand up to such a barrage. What a target!

The entire 45 minutes was nothing but a clear and direct assault on Biden’s ability to concentrate and make any meaningful points.

Countless times, a CNN moderator’s question to Trump was never addressed directly by him. Instead, his handlers coached Trump to take his four-minute exclusive time slot to harass, berate, and bombard Biden, repeatedly using the immigration issue on every subject he was given to address for that four minutes. He deflected, as is his style, blame on Biden every subject that was brought up from the get-go. It was a nonstop lambasting force of energy aimed directly at Biden’s mind — so much so, unbeknownst to Biden and to the disbelief of all watching, it completely befuddled him to the point where it was obvious that he was unable to recall any of the preparation days before at Camp David.

It was an excellent strategy and it worked, showing us a diminished man who has done so much for this country in the last four years despite Trump’s back-door control of his toadies in Congress and elsewhere. Yes, President Biden did come back, sort of, in a few places, but he never had time to really recover after 40 minutes of the constant barrage of negativity aimed in his direction.

The final result of this clever strategy showed itself as a success when Biden reacted to Trump’s golf scores trap. Then Trump was the one to say, “Let’s stop acting like children.”

But the final blow however was President Biden’s exhausted physical appearance, facial expression, and speaking style. It reduced his ability to utter even a coherent final statement, which was also sadly far below everyone’s expectations. Then came the talking heads’ immediate reactive panic and suggesting that he must step aside. Too late!

His showing the next day was proof positive to me that, despite Thursday night’s debacle, I have certain faith in Joe Biden and his team being quite capable of leading this great and diverse nation for another four years.

Creighton, a Lincoln resident, is in his words “an 84 year-old independent voter who’s been there too!”

“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: Town staff group voices “strong support” for LGBTQIA+ community

By the Lincoln Staff Diversity and Inclusion Committee

The Lincoln Staff Diversity and Inclusion Committee (SDIC) is made up of staff members from a variety of ages, religions, ethnicities, races, cultures, genders, and sexualities. We are proud to work for this town, with many of us having been on the staff for over a decade. SDIC’s mission is as follows:

  • Create an inclusive environment by engaging diverse talent and influencing recruitment, development, advancement, and retention.
  • Articulate our diversity and inclusion values through proactive communications.
  • Regulate and manage workplace equity and inclusivity by reviewing and improving our policies and practices.
  • Evaluate our progress by continually assessing our organizational culture.

While our efforts are mainly focused on diversity and inclusion within the workplace, we recognize that the culture of the town is just as critical to the wellbeing of its current and future employees as the culture within Town Offices.

We were shocked and saddened to read that some members of the community believe that the recognition of Pride Month is harmful. What hurts people is telling them to hide who they are. Many of us have seen first-hand the devastating impacts that homophobia and transphobia have on our children, family, friends, and even on ourselves. Pride is not just about acceptance — it is about celebrating who you are and who you love unapologetically. Pride is about support, love, and kindness.

In no way do we seek to silence those that we disagree with. As others have said, freedom of speech and equitable participation in the public process are the foundations of democracy. However, freedom of speech is not the same as freedom from criticism. Hate does not have a place in Lincoln’s community. We commend the Lincoln Squirrel’s decision to publish this article and shed light on this harmful rhetoric. It provides an opportunity for people to speak out and share their support for the LGBTQIA+ community.

With the politicization and attacks on LGBTQIA+ people in this country, they need our support now more than ever. In that vein, we are using our voices to speak out and share our strong support for the LGBTQIA+ community. We hope that others in Lincoln will do the same, and we are grateful to those who already have. It costs nothing to be supportive, loving, and kind.

Signed,
 
Victoria Benalfew, Administrative Assistant to the Building Department and Board of Health
Abigail Butt, our Director of Council on Aging and Human Services
Stacy Carter, Conservation Planner
Jennifer Curtin, Assistant Director of Planning and Land Use
Michael Dolan, IT Director
Valeria Fox, Town Clerk
Tim Higgins, Town Administrator
Dan Pereira, Assistant Town Administrator
Robin Rapoport, Reference Librarian
Ian Spencer, Sergeant, Police Department
Colleen Wilkins, Finance Director/Town Accountant

“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: Check out famed cellist Helen Gillet on Friday

By Mimi Borden, Sara Mattes, and Rachel Marie Schachter

This Friday night, we have a unique opportunity to hear a gifted, boundary-breaking artist — cellist Helen Gillet — in a rare New England performance. She will take the stage at 8 p.m. on Friday, June 28 at Bemis Hall.

Helen has played notable venues around the world including Lincoln Center, NPR’s Tiny Desk, and TEDx stages. She performs most often in New Orleans, her current home, where her packed performances at the New Orleans Jazz Fest are consistently met with standing ovations.

Helen has a unique approach to music. She sings in English, French, and other languages while accompanying herself with multi-layered sounds that she records and loops as she performs. Her eclectic palette, technical prowess, extended techniques, and artistic daring combine to create an other-worldly experience. It’s one not to be missed. This is a sample of what you’ll hear.

Please join the Bemis Free Lecture Series to experience a most enchanting evening.

The authors are Bemis Trustees.

“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: A celebration of Lincoln’s historic homes

By Kim Bodnar, Lincoln 250 Chair

On June 5, the Lincoln250 Planning Committee, along with the Lincoln Historical Society and the Historical Commission, hosted a reception for Lincoln’s Historical Homeowners (homes that were built on or before 1776). About 17 private homes in Lincoln qualify, along with public properties in Minute Man National Historical Park, Historic New England (Codman Estate), and Farrington Memorial. Twenty homeowners and representatives from Lincoln’s public properties shared the origin stories of these treasured historic homes.

The meeting began with an introduction of the Lincoln250 Planning Committee, formed by the Select Board in early 2023 to begin planning events, programs, and activities to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord and Lincoln’s role in these early days of the American Revolution. Andrew Glass, chair of the Historical Commission, provided background on Lincoln’s historic districts and the commission’s goal of preserving and protecting places significant to the history of the town. Finally, Sara Mattes, chair of the Historical Commission, offered a fascinating history of the Lincoln militia and Minute Men who lived in these historical homes, as well as the enslaved that were also present in Lincoln in April 1775.

Wiggin, author of Embattled Farmers: Campaigns and Profiles of Revolutionary Soldiers from Lincoln, Massachusetts, 1775-1783, shared the following pieces of information:

  • Lincoln’s most prominent citizen of that era, Dr. Charles Russell, was a loyalist and left Lincoln on April 19, 1775, never to return.  He was subsequently said to have tended to the British wounded at Bunker Hill.
  • There were somewhere between 105 and 115 Lincoln men (militia, Minute Men, and volunteers) who responded to the alarm of April 19.  This represents between 13.5% and 15% of Lincoln’s population at the time.

Don Hafner, author of Tales of the Battle Road: April 19, 1775 and an upcoming book-length manuscript on the Black community of Lincoln at the time of the Revolution noted that in 1774, there were 16 enslaved adults in Lincoln. There were also perhaps 12 free Black adults and children. Lincoln’s total white population was about 775.

The reception concluded with a discussion on how we can share the history of these homes and their 1775 residents with all of Lincoln as we approach the 250th anniversary in April 2025. A sincere thank you to all who attended and to our partners, the Lincoln Historical Society and the Lincoln Historical Commission. 

To stay up to date on Lincoln250 events and programs, follow us on Facebook or Instagram.  We will also be posting event information on LincolnTalk and the Squirrel. If you would like to support Lincoln250’s fundraising efforts, please shop our store or contact Peggy Elder at elderp@lincolntown.org to purchase a Lincoln250 car magnet.

“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: Thanks from outgoing L-S School Committee member

Dear Lincoln-Sudbury community,

As my term on the L-S School Committee ends, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for the opportunity to serve over the past three years. It has been a privilege to put forth my best effort in doing what I felt was best for the students of Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School on your behalf and I am deeply grateful for this experience. The parents in this community are the single most important stakeholders when it comes to the success and well-being of our children. Whether it be supporting our schools, athletic programs, music and theater programs, or our local churches and Scout troops, the investment that the parents in this community make in the success of every child is awe-inspiring.

I started my term as a School Committee member in 2021 toward the end of the pandemic, with students in masks and taking a Covid test at the first sign of a sniffle. Fast forward to spring 2024 and “normal” life has returned to L-S. The energy that emanates from our campus this time of year is palpable and something I still cannot bring myself to take for granted.

Not only is there a new energy around the campus, there is also new leadership in place within the building. Last year the L-S School Committee conducted a successful superintendent/principal search and due to the hard work and dedication of so many, Dr. Andrew Stephens was hired in June of 2023. Dr. Stephens brings with him an exciting new energy which has been recognized by students, faculty, and the broader community alike. It has been my pleasure to welcome him and I look forward to seeing how his enthusiasm and fresh ideas move public high school education forward at L-S.

Along with acknowledging all that is exciting and new in the past three years, I would be remiss if I did not also recognize what has always been great about L-S. By this, I mean the teachers and faculty who are the bedrock of our school. Their dedication and commitment to the success and well-being of every student is second to none and I’m fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn far more deeply how they are continually collaborating in innovative ways to ensure that every L-S graduate reaches their full potential. Thank you, L-S teachers.

Lastly, I’d like to give special thanks to two of my colleagues on the School Committee. The first is former School Committee member Harold Engstrom and the second is current and veteran School Committee member Kevin Matthews. Both of you share an unwavering commitment to ethical decision-making and a steadfast determination to always stayed focused on what is best for L-S. Change is often challenging, but working with colleagues of such high moral and academic standards was truly an inspiration. With you and because of you, I feel secure in the fact that I am leaving the L-S School Committee with L-S in an incredibly hopeful place, where all students can continue to find success.

In closing I’d like to welcome Maura (Mo) Carty onto the School Committee as she is sworn into the seat I have vacated. Mo has an unparalleled history of public service in our community. She has served as a voice for parents, students, and staff in her roles on both the LSPO and the L-S School Council. In addition, she brings a solid understanding of both L-S and town-wide budget issues thanks to her work on the Sudbury Finance Committee. Most importantly, Maura holds a fundamental belief in our system of open government where concepts like integrity, transparency, and accountability are not optional, they are essential. This approach to public service has earned her the trust and respect of our community and I’m confident that the good work of the L-S School Committee will continue with Maura seated at that table. Even greater things are yet to come!

With sincere gratitude,

Mary Warzynski (Sudbury)

“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: Civil disobedience and Hanscom Field expansion

By Dilla Tingley

(Editor’s note: see “Activists continue push to derail Hanscom expansion” for context.)

I joined Bill McKibben’s Third Act. Wrote my letter and encouraged others to write letters in response to the DEIR on the Hanscom hangar project. Eagerly joined Alex Chatfield’s protest on Saturday April 20.

We were told that Extinction Rebellion [ER] was going to be disrupting flights on the runway. Our plan was to occupy the parking lot and the lounges of Signature Air and Jet Air. Signature Air was referred to as an enabler. They apparently have the contract to run the facilities at the new hangars. They currently provide luxurious amenities to owners and fliers of private jets.

When we arrived, the police presence was already there and handcuffing people in front of the Signature Air facility. Large presence of state, Concord, Bedford, and eventually Lincoln police. We had read our statements in the parking lot and then we stood across the drive from the Signature Air facility where they were arresting folks, and we sang songs and chants with the ER people providing much moral support. Eventually a state policeman dragged over a person in a traffic vest and said he was from Massport. That person demanded that we leave. The policeman gave us the option of crossing the drive and joining “your friends” and being arrested or leaving. We left. I think we were there about an hour.

I was not part of the group that stayed at the intersection of Hanscom Drive and Old Bedford Road. They were interviewed by many members of the press.

I was really happy to play a small part in this action. Private jet travel is anathema to our climate goals and the whole air lobby has way too much power. Jet fuel is not taxed. There is no sales tax if you buy a private jet. The only leverage we have over what happens at Hanscom is to control the building of infrastructure.

“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: Some ideas for improving town meeting procedures

By Ned Young

It’s commendable that the Select Board will soon be initiating a collaborative process to improve our Town Meeting procedures. To help people start thinking about it, here are some ideas. I have no particular pride of authorship in the draft below and look forward to a robust collaborative effort on the part of our fellow residents this Spring. Hope we all speak our minds like true New Englanders!

Proposed impartial discussion procedures at Town Meeting

A. Procedures for certain special articles
  1. These special procedures (“Impartial Discussion Procedures”) are to apply after receipt of a petition signed by a number of residents equal to a substantial percentage of the attendance at Town Meeting the previous year (say 20%) stating that these Impartial Discussion Procedures are appropriate for discussing a particular article (a “Special Article”).
  2. Spokesperson(s) of such a grassroots group in opposition to the resolution put forth by a town board on the Special Article shall have 10 minutes of time to speak from the podium with the opportunity to show slides.
  3. If more than one group of petitioners with enough signatures wish to speak for or against the Special Article, allocation of who goes first shall be by coin toss or other impartial method.
  4. A non-governmental entity seeking podium access must submit a petition signed by the same number of individual residents as required for a grassroots group and shall observe the same time limit as a grassroots group.
B. General procedures for all Town Meetings
  1. Board members comprising a substantial portion of a board’s members (say 20%) who oppose a board’s resolution on any article shall have an amount of time to speak from the podium with slides, equal to the amount of time taken by the presentation and remarks of the majority members of the board; a board member or members comprising less than such percentage who oppose(s) a board’s resolution shall have five minutes of time to speak from the podium without slides.
  2. Any town board or committee that wishes to support or oppose an article shall have five minutes to speak at the podium without slides. Allocation of who goes first shall be by coin toss or other impartial method, except that the Finance Committee may speak with slides and without time limit.
  3. Majority members of a board shall never purport to speak on behalf of minority members.
  4. The moderator’s meeting to go over Town Meeting procedures and set the order of speakers at Town Meeting in accordance with these rules shall be open to the public with adequate prior notice, remote participation, and promptly available video recording.
  5. No additions to or changes in the order of speakers established at the moderator’s meeting shall be made without a two-thirds vote at Town Meeting.
  6. All persons speaking at Town Meeting must clearly disclose or disclaim any financial or other personal interest in the matter when they begin speaking

“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: Thank you for participating and voting at the Annual Town Meeting

By the Community Center Building Committee

We thank each and every resident for participating in the development of plans for the Lincoln community center, for voting at the annual town meeting on March 23, 2024, and in the town election on March 25. It has been a long journey starting in 2010 through four previous study groups and committees, with dozens of volunteers who have worked through the complex questions and needs of the town.

At the town meeting on March 23, Lincoln residents voted 444 (81%) to 101 (19%) to approve funding to build the community center on the Hartwell complex on Ballfield Road. At the town election on March 25, voters supported Question 1, on financing the required bonds, by 944 (57%) to 709 (43%). We on the Community Center Building Committee thank you for demonstrating the town’s desire for true community.

Now we move on to the tasks ahead. Our next steps involve finalizing the choice of architect, completing the conceptual design process, and selecting an owner’s project manager to assist us with full budget development, and to ensure the project stays on budget and on schedule. We will continue to provide frequent updates to you. Please join us at our CCBC meetings, continue to send us your questions, and follow our progress on the Community Center website.

“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: Looking at core assumptions around aviation

By Christopher Eliot

The proposed Hanscom airport expansion has catalyzed a long overdue recognition of the climate impact of aviation. While climate change is global, this project is in our backyard. My statements against this project are on record, but it is important to look at the larger context of aviation as a whole.

It is taken for granted that aviation is vital to the modern world. Most people marvel at the technical achievements enabling safe travel anywhere in the world. There is something magical about waking up on a harsh New England Winter day and flying to a tropical island before evening. Aviation has many tangible benefits but in the face of the climate crisis we must look hard at the cost and benefit of every aspect of the modern economy without allowing romantic preconceptions to mislead us. 

During my nine years on the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission I have become aware of often overlooked problems related to aviation. Aviation has substantial and growing impacts on public health, the climate and use of scarce resources that should be widely understood and properly weighed in public discussion. Aviation is one of the top ten sources of climate change and it is widely considered to be the hardest part to fix. 

The aviation industry has a plan to become climate-friendly but I believe it is not a credible plan. The industry assumes it can obtain exclusive control massive amounts of public resources that have value for many other uses. The industry assumes a place of importance that may or may not be consistent with public values.

There needs to be a robust public discussion about the core assumptions of modern aviation. Is aviation really so important that society should devote half of our agricultural land, or half of our electricity capacity to aviation?  Should we just accept the fossil fuel requirements of aviation and look elsewhere to offset these sources of climate change? Should we accept aviation technology that might be less safe but more environmentally friendly? What balance of public and private investment for climate friendly aviation is wise? Should we instead work to reduce the use of aviation? People will have many answers to these questions and they should be widely debated.

These are choices about aviation that must be made. It is important for the public to widely contribute to the decision making process now, because the decisions made today will take decades to be fully deployed. With substantial public input, these choices will be made by a privileged few in the aviation industry, the FAA, and the fuel industry. Construction is already underway to implement plans designed primarily by the aviation industry that have not been widely discussed. Since these choices will deeply effect everyone, everywhere, it is important to broaden the discussion to reflect the shared values of the public at large.

Eliot, a Lincoln resident, is chair of the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission. For updates on the plan to expand hangar space at Hanscom Field, see these stories in the Bedford Citizen. 

“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.