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View of the highly productive Lyme-Old Lyme Food Share Garden. Photo by J. Ward.
OLD LYME — The annual Lyme-Old Lyme Food Share Garden (LOLFSG) Sponsor a Row campaign kicked off Oct. 1.
The LOLFSG is extremely grateful to individuals, families, organizations and businesses, who sponsored the garden this season.
Volunteers gave more than 800 hours, donated more than 2000 pounds of food to local food pantries, installed a pollinator pathway along one edge of the garden, composted more than 1000 pounds of donated food waste, and are in the process of an on-site garden expansion.
The annual cost to maintain a garden bed from seed through delivery is approximately $250.
All money raised by this campaign will go directly towards the operating expenses of the garden, including seeds/transplants, fertilizer, weed barrier fabric, irrigation tape, electricity and tools.
In appreciation, each $250 donation from October 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024 will be recognized with a sign at the garden and on the LOLFSG website.
Donations of any amount are also welcome. Donations can be made at lolfoodsharegarden.org or mailed to LOL Food Share Garden Inc., PO Box 395, South Lyme, CT 06376.
The Old Lyme Voters have two candidates Steven Wilson and Suzanne Thompson who are running for re-election to the Board of Education. I have been working with Steven and Suzanne for two years on the BOE. It is a honor to work with both of these individuals due to their dedication, experience, and knowledge of District 18 Schools.
As a new Board Member I have learned from and have received support and guidance from Steven who is the Chairman of the BOE. Steven is doing an amazing job promoting an environment where all Board Members feel comfortable asking questions and expressing their feelings on a matter.
Suzanne is a team player who respects and listens to all information that comes in front of the Board of Education . She asks important questions that foster understanding of the issues or concerns facing the Board. Suzanne has the ability to understand Policies and where changes could be made. She is also very committed to improving communication in various ways with our community members.
I am excited to support the re-election of Mary Powell-St.Louis for the Board of Education for Lyme. Mary puts a lot of energy, time, and diligence in her role as a member of the BOE. She spends time doing research and getting the facts out to the rest of us. She is part of the Finance and Facilities Committee of the Board of Education. Mary is dedicating her time to being a part of the Building Project Committee also.
I have the pleasure of supporting the election of Michael Presti to the Board of Education. I know he would be a great addition to the BOE. He is someone you feel comfortable talking to and he takes the time to listen. Michael’s ability to understand problems and work with others to find solutions is a big plus for being on the Board of Education.
Please vote for Steven Wilson, Suzanne Thompson, Mary Powell-St.Louis, and Michael Presti on November 7th for the Lyme/Old Lyme Board of Education!
Sincerely,
Laura Dean-Frazier, Old Lyme.
Editor’s Note: The author is an Unaffiliated member of the Lyme/Old Lyme Board of Education. She was endorsed by the Old Lyme Republican Town Committee at the 2021 election.
I write in support of the re-election of Lyme’s current Member of the Board of Education, Mary Powell St. Louis. Mary has been a diligent member of the board for eight years and has, in past elections, been re-elected without opposition. Mary has been a thoughtful advocate for parents and students, including special needs students. She is the Vice Chairman of the Board and has put in many hours preparing for new facilities and technology upgrades for each of the Regional District 18 schools.
She is a mother of three students, all of whom attended the Lyme schools. She is also a Scout leader and a medical doctor with additional background in business and public health. Lyme and Old Lyme are fortunate to have one of the few school boards with a trained physician as a member.
Commendably, for many years Lyme has sent one Republican and one Democrat as our reps on the School Board, believing in the balance that combination brings. We have an opportunity to continue that tradition. But more important is the blend of talent, skills, and commitment that Mary offers as a Lyme representative on the School Board.
Yours sincerely,
David L. Cavicke, Lyme.
Editor’s Note: The author is a member of the Lyme Consolidated School Class of 1976.
Steve Mattson (D), former First Selectman of Lyme.
LYME — With the upcoming Lyme town elections, residents are tuned in for an unusual reason: lack of contest.
This year’s town elections for the Board of Selectpeople will be unopposed, with First Selectperson David Lahm running uncontested for the position. This is not the first time in Lyme’s recent history that this has been the case. According to Steve Mattson, former First Selectperson for Lyme, the reason is simple.
“Nobody wants the job,” said Mattson. “This isn’t an issue about politics, it’s not having candidates for an election.”
Mattson explained that the job is not appealing for many in the town, considering its long hours, lack of support and underpaid nature.
Mattson took over as First Selectperson after Ralph Eno retired, planning on serving just one term until they could find a long-term replacement for the position, but ended up serving three.
“No one would fill in for me,” explained Mattson. “Luckily, David [Lahm] wanted to try his hand at it, but that’s why David’s in office and there is no election, because there is just nobody else interested in the job.”
David Lahm, Lyme’s First Selectman has a more optimistic reason for the lack of contest this fall. Lahm, who was appointed after Mattson’s retirement in July 2022, now runs unopposed for his first election as Selectman.
David Lahm (R), current First Selectperson of Lyme.
“We try not to be a partisan town,” said Lahm. “The reason I’m running unopposed is because the people are satisfied with the job I’m doing.”
Lahm expressed that he would be happy with competition for the position if any resident was interested in running, but that there just didn’t seem to be interest in changing town leadership.
According to Lahm, all that would be necessary for a real, contested election would be civic engagement from citizens.
“All you got to do is show up for the caucus,” said Lahm. “That’s the really nice thing about a small town, is that as an individual, you can make a difference.”
However, there remain barriers for even the most civically engaged citizen in Lyme.
“It’s a 50-plus hour-a-week job and you don’t make much money,” said Mattson. “So why would people want this job?”
Mattson had sought to remedy this issue when he took office, supporting the idea of a town manager, as other towns have implemented in the recent past.
“There was universal opposition to that,” said Mattson. “That’s not the way Lyme has always done things…and [officials in town] are not willing to look at another way.”
Mattson also explained that he and others who supported this idea ran into Legal issues when it came to changing the way that Lyme is run. He said that if Lyme were to adopt the position of a town manager, it would require creating a town charter.
“We are one of the few towns in Connecticut that does not have a charter,” explained Mattson. “The job associated with creating a town charter is immense.”
He also said that there were, however, workarounds that the town could have used to effectively come to the same solution.
“You could hire someone to run the town day-to-day,” said Mattson, “ and call him something else.”
Mattson elaborated that the town does not have the desire or money to change the system.
According to Lahm, when it comes down to it, Lyme is doing its best to serve its citizens democratically, and to ensure that the focus of town officials is to act in the best interest of the people, rather than with any political agenda.
“It’s a hard job, and it’s our job,” said Lahm. “We’ve got dedicated people who have nothing but the best interest of the town and working with it.”
Sadie Frankel is a junior political science and journalism student at Northwestern University.
About the Author: Sadie Frankel is a junior political science and journalism student at Northwestern University.
Her journalistic interests are focused on political reporting and broadcast news.
As a resident of Lyme for 17 years, she welcomes the opportunity to contribute to her local paper on an occasional basis and report on ongoing political issues in her hometown.
