To the Editor:

I am writing to urge my fellow residents to join me in voting for Jude Read and Chris Kerr this Tuesday, November 7th.  Jude and Chris have been committed, engaged people serving on the board of finance, board of education, planning commission, to mention just a few organizations they have given their time and expertise (sic).  I believe we need a renewed commitment to local governing: we need to be very careful about such considerations as having East Lyme run our police department and we need to evaluate if other regionalization decisions like getting rid of our health staff is still right for the town.  Jude and Chris are the right folks to get Old Lyme back on track, and their experiences running local small businesses provides them with great skills for excellent leadership.

Sincerely,

Don Willis,
Old Lyme.

To the Editor:

Old Lyme First Selectwoman Bonnie Reemsnyder was informed of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) plan to run high-speed rail from Old Saybrook to Kenyon, R.I. shortly before a public hearing in Hartford in January 2016.  Bonnie attended the hearing, submitted testimony and a written statement, and initiated a process to stop the plan–one that would ravage Old Lyme and degrade the entire Southeastern CT region.

That August a public meeting in Old Lyme, chaired by Bonnie, brought together the FRA, government officials and more than 500 concerned shoreline citizens.

That meeting conveyed, through thoroughly civil discourse, universal public opposition to the plan.

Ultimately the democratic process won and the FRA abandoned the bypass plan.  Bonnie deserves enormous credit for this result.  Throughout, Bonnie’s ability to reach across party lines, to think regionally, to work with state and federal officials and to mobilize the public, enabled her to mount an effective campaign benefitting the entire shoreline. 

State-level budget problems indicate that local officials will increasingly have to work regionally to address emerging infrastructure, conservation and education issues. Bonnie’s leadership in stopping the ill-conceived FRA plan clearly demonstrated that she has the skills needed for Old Lyme in the coming years.  I urge her re-election on November 7.

Sincerely,

Peter Cable,
Old Lyme.

To the Editor:

As an unaffiliated voter in Old Lyme, the upcoming election for Selectmen is particularly important.

Seeking to fund the extension of a town project, largely with state money, without a guarantee for the money from the state is putting the “cart before the horse”……..The state has been broke for years.

Case in point: The rearranging/bump outs/sidewalks/repaving of Hartford Avenue in anticipation of state funding to connect with the exit 70 off ramp of I-95-N, (4+ miles), for a pedestrian/bike/greenway lane was “pie in the sky”. 

Foreseeable bad timing, as Hartford Avenue will have to be torn up again to install the upcoming sewer lines.

There are numerous other examples …….      

The town needs more timely public knowledge dissemination about project planning, coupled with increased town hall transparency allowing government to function more smoothly.

We need selectmen who will be better at, “minding the store.”

Vote common sense.

Vote READ/KERR November 7^th. 

Sincerely,

Sloan Danenhower,
Old Lyme.

Editor’s Note: The author is the husband of First Selectman candidate Judith Read.