It is with dismay that I read your article regarding Mr. Starostecki’s resignation from the Town Council. He was a councilor who seemed to truly consider the voices and opinions of the people, much like Ms. Higgins, who also resigned recently. Both of these resignations leave us with what has been referred to as “the old boy’s club,” which indeed it is, where the opinions of the public have little bearing in their decisions. Take, for example, the town meeting where recreational marijuana retail was discussed. During that meeting, many people rose to speak in favor of allowing sales in Standish, for various reasons, all expressed intelligently and respectfully. No one in the audience that evening spoke in opposition of marijuana retail operations, yet the council, without reason, with the exception of Ms. Higgins and Mr. Starostecki, voted it down. Only Mr Delcourt gave a reason, however paltry and condescending, “I won’t have dope peddlers in my town.”

That is just one example of how many (not all) of the councilors have no regard for the thoughts and opinions of the public who voted them in, another nail in the coffin for democracy. The citizen’s of Standish deserve to have people like Starostecki and Higgins, councilors who work for the citizens, not their own ideas and agendas, and this June, I hope that people pay attention, and elect a council that values democracy and will be our voices in town decisions.

Cara Childs
Standish

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