Election letters

To the editor,

Dick Matthews and Natalie West are the two candidates running for city council who have worked for years to improve our community. Both candidates listen to all voices and care about all citizens. Dick has shown his commitment to improving schools and providing resources that serve a diverse school population.

Natalie has helped citizens on projects from safer streets to tar sands crude. I am also confident they understand how budgets are developed and how policies are created.

I do not make recommendations lightly, I stand behind them.

Please join me in voting for Dick Matthews and Natalie West for South Portland City Council.

Kevin Battle

South Portland

To the editor,

We are fortunate to have an experienced and mature, committed and collaborative member of the South Portland community putting herself forward to serve alongside the others on our city council. Natalie West has already contributed to the city in many ways, working to preserve open space, helping to craft city ordinance, serving on a municipal committee and on the community gardens board.

With decades of experience as a municipal attorney, she is yet ready to listen and learn as well as to lead. She is committed to protecting the environment of our beautiful corner of Maine, the fiscal well being of our city and its citizens, and the respectful and cooperative tone of the city council.

For all these reasons and more, I urge my neighbors to vote to elect Natalie West to the South Portland City Council.

Andrea Thompson McCall

South Portland

To the editor,

I am supporting Dick Matthews for South Portland City Council. My reasons begin at the core. Dick listens. He listens to everyone. He helps. He helps everyone. He is kind. He is kind to everyone. He doesn’t need to blow his own horn or pat himself on the back. If you need something and you ask Dick, the answer will always be yes.

When I have disagreed with Dick, he comes to my home and we talk. He is polite, respectful and thoughtful. He considers all viewpoints. He offers balance, experience and dedication. As a lifelong resident, Dick’s history is not just on the school board. He has delivered sand to seniors without being asked. He has cleared snow for people who are not able to do it themselves and not charged them. He has had his own health issues yet reaches out to see how others are doing in their struggle.

I was pleased to hear that Mayor Dhalac told him he would be good for the council, that he would offer balance, when they met together. She is right.

I have personally talked with Dick about housing needs, the addiction epidemic, safety for pedestrians/cyclists and the needs of the homeless, particularly asylum seekers. His concern is genuine, and his ideas are based on what is best for people – those in need. In a recent conversation, without a request, Dick offered a much needed donation to help me pay for a U-Haul truck in a move to Lewiston. I was stunned.

Humble, genuine, honest and sincere. Generous, kind, thoughtful and conscientious. Determined, passionate, persistent and resourceful.

I have confidence in Dick Matthews. That’s why I will cast my vote for him on Nov. 8 with enthusiasm. I ask you to do the same.

Rosemarie De Angelis

South Portland

To the editor,

Politics has always been a very personal and touchy subject. In recent years it has become even more so. It saddens me to see how a system that was designed to benefit us and ensure representation and equality has morphed into something so divisive and controversial.

I am not a resident of South Portland, but I am a small business owner here and am concerned about some of the issues that are causing strife among us. There are many sides and views to the subjects that are constantly plaguing us and disagreements are bound to happen. What is most important to me is that our elected representatives truly have an open mind and are willing to discuss and hear all sides of the topic and take a common sense, nonpartisan, civil approach to a resolution.

Keeping this in mind, I am pleased to support Steven Silver as a viable and reliable member of the city council. I’ve had the great opportunity to meet him and to discuss how he plans to represent my business interests and the interests of the residents of South Portland.

First and foremost, it is not easy to put oneself out into the public to be ridiculed, judged and vilified. Steven has the fortitude to withstand this scrutiny and remain positive and undeterred in his eagerness and passion to keep this city desirable for us all. I sincerely hope all of you exercise your right and freedom to vote in this election on Nov. 8 and I also encourage you to mark that box for Steven Silver.

Lisa Anderson Plourd, Knitting Nook

South Portland

To the editor,

As folks head to the polls next Tuesday, I really hope they think back on how much our local government failed us during the past two years. Beyond what most consider to be abuse of power during the pandemic, the South Portland leaders have done little to nothing to help the average citizens and businesses. They seem to focus most of their attention on low income people, asylum seekers, denying property owners rights, declaring the city racist, and congesting traffic as much as they can.

When the rest of the world had done away with mask mandates, South Portland felt compelled to re-institute one in January of this year. They incorporated a cap on rent increase, but then took it a step too far and banned evictions for six months, and just added another six months to it. They publicly asked for help providing formula to asylum seekers, even though every citizen in the city was facing challenges with it.

I’ve heard business owners and residents, over and over, describing how no one in city hall would help them with an issue or question, or even get back to them for that matter. This really is not how a city should operate, and it’s time for a change. I really don’t see that happening by electing Natalie West or Brendan Williams. And let’s not forget councilor/mayor Dhalac. She is running for the State House, but has no intention of resigning from the city council if she wins. So please consider these things when you head out to vote on Tuesday.

Bud Munson

South Portland

 

Writing to persuade

I am an adjunct professor at Southern Maine Community College teaching preparatory reading and writing. My students are learning how to write letters to the editor as part of their instruction in Writing to Persuade. This is the third installment, and we hope you will read and enjoy their viewpoints.

Rosemarie De Angelis

SMCC Professor

To the editor,

There is so much pressure for youth to drink these days but why? Today’s youth loves to party and have fun, but underage drinking has resulted in serious and fatal accidents.

Partying is fun and all but people under the legal drinking age that start to drink heavily are most susceptible to becoming an alcoholic in their later years. It can also result in health and legal accidents such as alcohol poisoning and a DUI. The brain does not finish developing until a person’s mid- to late-20s.

So, if you have children or if your older and younger friends tell them, next time they’re out with friends, take a second thought about having that last drink, because the consequences aren’t worth it.

Cole Higgins

USA

To the editor,

Ceramics is an underrated art that should be more accessible. Clay is a medium that can be enjoyed, able bodied or not. Whether you’re blind, paraplegic, or a child; anybody can create art with clay.

Being able to work with your hands gives an immersive experience to its artist by being able to control exactly what it looks like. Also being able to just turn your piece when something is off saves so much stress rather than drawing when you have to dissect the perspective of your art. All natural clay is also incredibly cheap and environmentally friendly. Clay also strengthens children’s smaller muscles in their hand, making it a cheap motor skill developing tool for parents.

Clay truly is an underrated art that deserves more attention. What you can do to help is introduce your children to clay, go to your local pottery class, and lastly try to incorporate it into your hobbies.

Mariam Andoniade

United States

To the editor,

There is lots of pollution today, especially in the air around us. Carbon emissions are very harmful to our environment and our health. Every year people and animals die because of harmful air. We need to think about ways to change the way we live.

Electric vehicles are valuable because they save gas. We should be sure we are not polluting the air. They do not have harmful emissions. They create economic growth, technology and improve public health.

The most popular electric vehicles are Tesla, Chevrolet Bolt, Nissan Leaf, and Audi e-tron. If we want to protect the way we live we need to look for cleaner ways to drive.

Electric cars are more comfortable to drive, and they have a future program where you can drive without the wheel. They are cheaper and cleaner. They have no congestion charge, lower running costs, better driving experience, and reduced noise pollution.

If you want to feel good about protecting the environment, the first step to take is to invest in cleaner energy and the best way to do that is buy an electric car.

Zabi Durani

Afghanistan

To the editor,

We never know how much time we have in life. I believe that time is taking us one way without stopping.

I am sure we have a lot of challenges and many things to do in different ways. Some people are well organized to consider the time, and some people keep delaying or promising about what to do tomorrow. Delaying the time and not considering it, we may find ourselves in an illusion of empty hope that may not give us positive results. I realized late and ended up regretting the past for not getting what I should have and achieve my goals. It does not come back to me again.

I like to encourage the new young generation to take their time to study, to give more attention to it, also to anyone who has plans, projects, and the opportunity of time to do something. You never know about tomorrow.

Time is very important, so use it wisely.

Depapa Kalaluka Muvumbu

South Africa.

To the editor,

First, back in the ’90s phones were only used to communicate, but now they are used as a source of information and to chat with people on social media. Nowadays phones are one of the biggest problems in society, because they can put you in a really bad circumstance.

Even though a phone is a way to communicate, it can cause an accident if you use it while driving and also cause terrible traffic for others. You can put the house on fire if you use it while cooking or miss information from your teacher if you use it during the class. It also can contribute to not taking care of your children because you rather stay on your phone.

Stop using your phones while you are doing something else to prevent any accident.

Junara Coch

Angola

Comments are not available on this story.