Tag Archives: Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Response by Then-Selectwoman Shoemaker Leads to Support for her Current First Selectman Challenger, Mesham

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To the Editor:

“A paltry stipend” that is paid to an elected official should not determine whether that official answers a phone call from his constituent: yet this is the thinking of the current “CEO” of Old Lyme. When needing some help with a town road flooding problem approximately two years ago, this was the response I received [from then-Selectwoman Shoemaker] which ran counter to everything I thought an elected official should do or say.

I will be voting for Mr. Mesham and not for the present office holder whose philosophy totally contradicts my seemingly naive and idealistic view of what a public servant should be.

I urge other Old Lymers to do the same.

Sincerely,

Alice Burbank,
Old Lyme.

Letter to the Editor: Don’t Reelect HROD Advocates Shoemaker, Lampos; Vote Row B

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Dear Editor:

The Halls Road Overlay District or HROD was fortunately defeated by the Old Lyme Zoning Commission, but only after the majority of Old Lyme voters and taxpayers made their voices known. The battle cry was: Overlay – NO WAY. Yay!

HROD would have allowed huge buildings for mixed-use housing, retail, and restaurants to be built with multi-story parking garages along the front of Halls Road. The whole scheme was an absurd attempt of a few people to forever alter Old Lyme’s character.

The fact that this proposal ever made it by the Town’s Planning Commission is staggering at best. What is more, the HROD proposal paid no attention to three main problems:

A. Halls Road is a State Road, not a town road and is the alternate traffic route through Old Lyme when I-95 backs up, a common occurrence. Traffic problems would become untenable.

B. There is not sufficient aquifer water for wells along Halls Road to support such development volume. This could lead to water quality issues for existing property owners.

C. There is not sufficient land present on Halls Road to provide adequate septic systems to make such growth feasible. This would lead to sewers being required and where would that take the town?

As a former owner (40%) of the Old Lyme shopping center for 20 years, I am very familiar with the septic situation in the area. Our system, though fragile, worked for many years, but for example, it can accommodate the sewage of only ONE real restaurant and no other major users of wastewater. As owners, we did, over the years, research the possibilities of sewage disposal in the area. Studies indicated the ground would not permit it.

I was shocked to hear of the proposed “overlay” project for so many dwellings along Halls Road in the shopping center. Had they not done their homework? Then, I was even more surprised to discover that two of our “Selectmen” were championing the crazy scheme. Martha Shoemaker and Jim Lampos were elected to “take care of the people of Old Lyme,” not to put them in jeopardy. Now, guilty of either irresponsibility or lack of sound judgment, they are asking the town to reward this incredibly dumb initiative by re-electing them. Go figure!!

This whole initiative was a boondoggle that would only have irreversibly changed Old Lyme and cost the town substantial legal and design study fees.

Don’t re-elect the Advocates of HROD.

Vote Row B this Election.

Bud Canaday,
Old Lyme.

Letter to the Editor: Behringer, Linderman, Walsh Support Fiscal Responsibility

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To the Editor:

The role of the Board of Finance (BOF) Alternates demands fiscal acumen and community experience. We are fortunate that the Old Lyme Democrats endorsed an exceptional team with an extraordinary balance of municipal knowledge and business expertise: Fred Behringer (Unaffiliated), Diane Linderman (Democrat), and Tom Walsh (Democrat). This slate offers a combined record of fiscal responsibility and collaborative attitudes:

  • Fred Behringer has worked constructively with all BOF members as an alternate member over the past two years. As Chair of the McCurdy-Salisbury Foundation, a former small business owner, scientist and environmentalist, he brings a critical and balanced perspective to the BOF.
  • Diane Linderman is seeking a second term and provides invaluable continuity to the BOF. She possesses a unique understanding of both the municipal and school budget processes – experience that serves the town well.
  • Tom Walsh’s extensive management career with UPS and 11 years of effective CT town committee experience will be a significant asset to the BOF.

Fred, Diane, and Tom are prepared to serve our town with integrity and intelligence. Please join me in supporting this highly qualified team for Board of Finance Alternates on Election Day, Nov. 4.

Sincerely,

Lucinda Hautaniemi ,
Old Lyme.

Letter to the Editor: Vote Kimberly Thompson for Responsible Fiscal Leadership in Old Lyme

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To the Editor:

The upcoming election for the Old Lyme Board of Finance is critically important and our town needs proven, sensible leadership to navigate complex financial waters. That is why I wholeheartedly endorse Kimberly Thompson for the Board of Finance (BOF). 

Kim brings four years of valuable experience to the BOF. She stands up for the taxpayer, debates town spending, and looks for sensible investments, prudent planning, accountability, and finding common ground – the exact skills our community needs on the BOF.  Her professional experiences as a researcher in corporate and private business and as a small business owner will continue to serve us well as the Town works to balance progress with retaining our rural beauty and small-town charm. 

Importantly, Kim understands that the Board of Finance’s duty is to evaluate town investments by comparing their importance with the burden placed on taxpayers. This past spring Kim, together with the other Democrats on the BOF, negotiated with recalcitrant Republicans on the board to utilize the high budget surplus to offset the increase in taxes due to the school renovation project. They finally reached agreement on withdrawing $800,000 from surplus, compared to the Republicans’ first offer of $400,000.  

In a climate where municipal finances are becoming increasingly complicated, we cannot afford guesswork. We need Kim’s professional expertise to ensure that our town’s financial health remains strong while maintaining predictable, sustainable taxation.

I urge all Old Lyme voters to cast their ballots for responsible fiscal leadership and elect Kim Thompson on Election Day.

Sincerely,

Sandra Y. Rueb,
Old Lyme

Letter to the Editor: With Trump in Charge Nationally, Only Defense is to Limit Republican Role Locally, so Vote Democrat

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To the Editor:

We here in Old Lyme are not immune from the Republican Party’s efforts to radically alter American politics and culture and tear the country apart.  The resources they have at their disposal are overwhelming: billions of dollars in federal funds, virtually unlimited physical force (ICE, the National Guard and the active military), a fully-compliant Department of Justice, a subservient Congress and a stacked Supreme Court.  And Trump has assembled a rogue’s gallery of angry, vitriolic, incompetent, sycophants–Stephen Miller, Pete Hegseth, Kash Patel, Pam Bondi, Russell Vought, Robert Kennedy Jr., Marco Rubio and Kristi Noem, to name a few–to implement his authoritarian Project 2025 playbook.

We cannot afford to ignore the absolutely chilling threat to our legal system and historic norms of behavior presented by Trump’s administration:  terrorizing our minority and immigrant communities in “blue” cities in the name of border control; withholding billions of dollars of research grants from our universities under the pretext of addressing antisemitism; blackmailing major law firms by excluding their lawyers from federal courthouses; gerrymandering voting districts to maximize GOP advantage; using the DOJ to retaliate against Trump’s perceived personal enemies; granting Trump carte-blanche power, free from the risk of criminal prosecution, to take any official action he wishes (such as killing without trial alleged drug smugglers); terminating financial support to “blue” states in punishment for the Democrats’ efforts to preserve affordable health-care for millions of Americans; and firing military, DOJ, FBI and agency staff just because they are Democrats or have appeared to do something that displeased Trump.  The list goes on. 

We will soon vote in Old Lyme’s municipal election.  It would be foolish to claim that every Republican candidate for office supports every Trump policy or initiative.  It would be equally foolish to claim that none of them does; indeed, we have seen corrosive GOP policies find voice in town on more than one occasion over the past few years.  Why should we care?

With our entire country now under assault in this hostile takeover by Trump and his minions, no community is safe and we must do all we can to defend ourselves and mitigate the harm.  One way to do so is by limiting Republicans’ roles in local politics.  On November 4, this means electing the Democratic candidates, whom we know will fight against the Republican efforts to undermine our democracy.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Griffin,
Old Lyme.