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

Letter to the editor: “unwanted” things tend toward North Lincoln

letter

To the editor:

I totally agree with Eleanor Fitzgerald’s thoughts about the meager representation of North Lincoln on some of our boards. I don’t have “skin in the game” since I live in South Lincoln, but I have noticed over 40-plus years that the unwanted things tend to land in North Lincoln, which is already burdened by Hanscom and all the traffic it creates. Some kind of proportional representation might be a solution, if not on the Board of Selectmen (assuming we are satisfied with only three selectmen), then definitely on larger boards such as Planning, Zoning, etc.

Sincerely,

Diana Abrashkin
South Great Road

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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 Letters containing personal attacks, errors of fact or other inappropriate material will not be published.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: Marshall thanks voters

letter

To the editor:

I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the voters in Lincoln and Sudbury who supported my reelection to the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee for a third term.

Thank you in particular to those who hosted and kept an eye on my campaign signs in their yard through the weeks of melting snow and wind, to those who wrote thoughtful and gracious letters to each town’s papers on my behalf, and to the brave souls who held signs for me at the polls, who weathered late March snow and wind and kept their humor.

We have a lot of work to continue, a great administration that deserves our attention and support, and students who are able to avail themselves of an incredibly rich educational and personal growth opportunity at Lincoln-Sudbury. Growing the relationships between our towns and our town officials has been a hallmark of our work over the past three years. Continuing that growth is critical. I look forward to facilitating increased opportunities for our towns to better know our excellent high school and each other. I am excited to continue my work with colleagues on the Committee whom I deeply respect and enjoy.

Nancy Marshall
Beaver Pond Road

Letters to the editor must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to news@lincolnsquirrel.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: representation should be more proportional

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(Editor’s note: This letter refers to Lincoln’s town election results.)

To the editor:

Precinct 2 includes Hanscom military base. Many at the base do not vote in local elections. There has not been a North Lincoln member of the Board of Selectmen for many years. Now there is no member of the Planning Board from North Lincoln. There are issues that affect residents of North Lincoln that are less impacting and important to other parts of town. Many homes have been taken from this part of town over the years to create the military base, the national historic park, and for upgrades to Route 2.

When I moved to town almost fifty years ago, Harold Lawson was on the Board of Selectmen. I am not sure there has been a North Lincoln resident on that board since then. Also, I believe we then had a five-member board. In my opinion, Lincoln town boards’ representation of the different parts of town ought to be more proportional than it is. North Lincoln sometimes seems the place to dump anything that is not wanted in other parts of town, such as the transfer station. I suppose the relocation of the Department of Public Works will be next to make way for yet another mixed or affordable income housing development on Lewis Street. In fairness, it seems to me that it should remain in a central location.

Sincerely,

Eleanor Fitzgerald
12 Juniper Ridge Rd.

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

News acorns – 4/3/15

acornBunny Bonanza at Pierce House this Saturday

All Lincoln School families are invited to hop on over to the Pierce House on Saturday, April 4 at 10 a.m. for the Lincoln Family Association‘s Bunny Bonanza. Welcome springtime with musicians, refreshments, and of course a massive egg hunt for all ages (please bring your own basket). Festivities begin promptly at 10 a.m. LFA members are free; non-members are $10 per child.

Meetings to discuss special education issues

[Read more…] about News acorns – 4/3/15

Letter to the editor: electorate fractured on Planning Board

letter

To the editor:

The Lincoln election results are in and, for the most part, they are unsurprising. So few are the town-government positions ever the object of a competitive election that the practice of voting in Lincoln tends to be nothing more than an exercise in social engagement with neighbors.

However, there was one rare exception in last week’s election: the Planning Board seat held (until recently) by Bob Domnitz. Domnitz was challenged by Gary Taylor, who narrowly won the election by 40 votes out of 944 cast (or 922, excluding blank votes).

This contest revealed a profound precinct split. Lincoln has two precincts—#1, which covers the southwestern part of town, and #2, which covers the northeast. The ]other] results show that for the elected posts, the winning candidate generally carried the same percentage of “yes” votes in each precinct—i.e., the Lincoln electorate was united behind the chosen candidate. But the Domnitz/Taylor contest represents a striking exception. Bob Domnitz swept Precinct 2 with almost 60 percent of the vote; Taylor drew only 136 of 348 votes cast in Precinct 2. Taylor won the election because he carried Precinct 1, where more votes were cast overall.

A profoundly fractured electorate is of course common in many places, though it’s worrisome though for a small town like ours. It reflects sharp divisions in the community and all of us need to try and understand its causes. I hope town leaders will work hard to avoid policies that exacerbate the split and instead seek common ground. Without this kind of leadership, it is hard to imagine a bright future for Lincoln.

Sincerely,

Keith N. Hylton
5 Oakdale Lane

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

April activities offered by the Council on Aging

bemisConversation with inventor Jim Nicholson
April 3 at 10:30 a.m.
Have you ever spent time in a hospital bed and they put those big white stockings that inflated and deflated around your legs every so often? Well, come and hear your neighbor Jim Nicholson, an MIT graduate inventor and holder of over 50 international patents, tell his story of how he created this life saving system which has saved probably tens of thousands lives from a deadly blood clot on Friday, April 3 at 10:30 a.m. Jim will be interviewed and videoed taped by Harold McAleer and there will be time for discussion after he tells you his story.

Choosing the right home contractor
April 3 at 1 p.m.
Whether you need ice dam removal, a renovation, or something else, learn to choose and work with the right contractor when Dan Walsh, Lincoln’s Building Commissioner, comes to Bemis Hall on Friday, April 3 at 1 p.m. He’ll explain about the process for getting good estimates, determining a contractor’s credentials and insurance, criteria for choosing a contractor, legal requirements for contracts and permits, inspecting the work when completed, and what to do if you have a problem. [Read more…] about April activities offered by the Council on Aging

News acorns – 4/1/15

acornHoly Week activities at St. Joseph’s/St. Julia’s

A recent listing of Holy Week activities at Lincoln churches inadvertently omitted St. Joseph’s Church services, which are as follows:

  • April 2 (Holy Thursday) – Mass of the Lord’s Supper, 7:30 p.m., St. Julia Church in Weston (whole-parish liturgy)
  • April 3 (Good Friday)
    • Stations of the Cross: 2 p.m. at St. Julia Church, 3 p.m. at St. Joseph Church
    • Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion and Death – 7:30 p.m., Saint Julia Church (whole-parish liturgy)
  • April 4 (day before Easter) – Easter Vigil Mass, 7:30 p.m., St. Julia Church (whole-parish liturgy)
  • April 5 (Easter)
    • Sunday Masses: St. Julia Church, 9 a.m. and 11:15 a.m.; Parish Hall in Weston, 9 and 11:15 a.m.; St. Joseph Church, 7 a.m., 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
Opt for chocolate Easter bunnies rather than real ones

Lincoln resident Therese Quirk, a volunteer with the House Rabbit Network, urges residents to choose chocolate rabbits rather than real ones as Easter gifts. Most of the rabbits in shelters are dumped a few months after Easter when owners realize the amount of work in caring for the animals, which can live 10 years. Anyone who is serious about adopting a pet rabbit can get more information on the House Rabbit Network adoption page (the HRN is not a shelter but rather a network of foster homes in eastern Massachusetts).

Library trustee sought

The Trustees of the Lincoln Public Library have announced that trustee Al Kraft is resigning because he is moving out of Lincoln, and they encourage interested residents to consider applying for the trustee vacancy. Kraft was one of three self-perpetuating trustees of the six-member board trustees. Those members are not elected or appointed and serve an open-ended term, but are asked to serve at least six years. Under guidelines adopted for the appointment of self-perpetuating trustees, preference will be given to new candidates who are expected and willing to serve for six years.

A summary of the trustee responsibilities is available at the library circulation desk. Candidates interested in putting themselves up for consideration are asked to apply in writing to Peter Sugar, c/o Lincoln Public Library, Bedford Road, Lincoln, MA 01773 before Wednesday, April 15. For further information, interested candidates may call library director Barbara Myles at 781-259-8465.

Founder of “Frontline” to deliver next Bemis Lecture on April 19

David Fanning, creator of the acclaimed PBS series Frontline, will speak in Brooks Auditorium on Sunday, April 19 at 4 p.m. The event was rescheduled from the original February 8 date due to snow.

Fanning’s talk, entitled “The Making of Frontline,” will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the series—how it came to be, battles fought, controversies stirred, high points and low, and prospects for the future in a rapidly changing media landscape. Fanning launched the program at host station WGBH in 1983 and has been its executive producer and guiding hand ever since. Under his care, Frontline has become the most enduring and honored investigative documentary series on American television. At last count, its trophy case includes 65 national Emmys, 16 Peabodys, 25 duPont-Columbia Awards, and even a Pulitzer, and Fanning was himself recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

For questions, please email bemislectures@gmail.com.

Free wine-tasting hosted by Domestic Violence Roundtable; donations encouraged

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable invites area residents to its third annual Libations and Donations event on Friday, April 24 at 7 p.m. at Sudbury Wine and Liquors (located in the Rugged Bear Plaza on Route 20 in Sudbury). Come and enjoy a free wine-tasting and bring a donation to the Roundtable’s annual Shower for Shelters, which runs from April 25 to May 11. Donations of new unwrapped gifts may be dropped off at Goodnow Library in Sudbury, the Wayland Public Library and the Lincoln Public Library.

Families transitioning from domestic violence shelters to new homes appreciate your gift of new household items to help them establish their new homes. Donations will help the residents of the Shelters and Transitional Housing Programs of REACH Beyond Domestic Violence, The Second Step and Voices Against Violence. Please bring your new unwrapped house-warming gifts to the April 24 wine tasting and enjoy an evening of good wine and congenial company. Items needed by the families include: twin sheets, twin comforters, twin blankets, towels, dishes, glassware, flatware, pots and pans, kitchen utensils, etc. A complete wish list can be found on the Roundtable’s website.

Leaf blower regulations tabled at Town Meeting

leafblower-compositeAfter months of hearings and public debate about whether to restrict the use of leaf-blowers in Lincoln, a motion to approve new regulations was passed over at Town Meeting at the request of the Leaf Blower Study Committee, which decided in light of feedback that “this was not the time to propose regulations,” LBSC chair Jamie Banks told the audience.

[Read more…] about Leaf blower regulations tabled at Town Meeting

Correction

correction-smIn yesterday’s Lincoln Squirrel article about the results of the Planning Board race, the results for Lincoln’s two voting precincts were incorrect, though the final tally (481 votes for Taylor and 441 votes for Domnitz) was accurate. The original story has been corrected. The correct results are below.

Precinct 1 Precinct 2 Total
Domnitz 240 201 441
Taylor 345 136 481

Taylor squeaks by Domnitz in Planning Board race

(Editor’s note: This article has been updated to reflect a correction on April 1.)

Challenger Gary Taylor took over the Planning Board seat occupied by incumbent Robert Domnitz by a vote of 481-441 in Monday’s town election, according to unofficial results.

Lincoln's voting precincts (click to enlarge)

Lincoln’s voting precincts (click to enlarge)

In Precinct 1 in the southwestern section of town, Taylor won by a margin of 345-240. In Precinct 2, Domnitz won by a vote of 201-136—not enough to overcome the deficit in Precinct 1 and resulting in 40-vote margin overall for Taylor.

Write-in votes are still being counted for the election, but there were no write-ins for the Planning Board race.

In the race for Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee, incumbents Nancy Marshall of Lincoln and Gerald Quirk of Sudbury retained their seats by comfortable margins. Even among Sudbury voters, Marshall beat Quirk by nine votes:

Lincoln Sudbury Total
Marshall 856 2,130 2,986
Quirk 502 2,121 2,623
Stein 78 795 873