Opinion/Letters: Sour grapes? Nickerson's swipe at Moran undignified

I read and reread the Times article regarding Scott Nickerson announcing he will not seek reelection for Barnstable County Superior Court Clerk. (Feb. 1)

Good for you, Scott, for protecting yourself from the stress of running a campaign against state Sen. Susan Moran. Thank you for your many years of service.

That being said, would it have been too much to ask to just retire in a dignified manner? Was it necessary to take a swipe at Moran?

Scott thinks her lack of experience is "problematic". And Scott said, "I hope that someone comes up to run against her; I just don't think that she's qualified for this job."

Really Scott? Did you have the experience decades ago when you were elected? Since you had already declared you were going to run again, and when Susan Moran decided to run, you decided not to run.

Whatever the reason for your flip-flopping on seeking reelection, it seems like sour grapes to me. And, to be honest, Scott's statements to the Times appear chauvinistic and spiteful.

Scott could have left on a high note. Decades of service is quite an accomplishment. Attempting to tarnish the record of Susan Moran, whose public service record speaks for itself on your way out is unnecessary and petty.

Mary Larsson, Pocasset

Village Courtyard project in Dennis Village should be 100% affordable

"… Something wicked this way comes …"  Ah, yes, it's coming again to Dennis Village. That infectious, insidious 40B, the Mass. Comprehensive Permit Law, once again aiding and abetting greedy developers to sacrifice history and tradition for financial gain. The village has already succumbed to one desecration; we are faced with another — the Village Courtyard project — possibly many, in the name of "affordable housing."

Please, do not say NIMBY. Depending on the potential seller/buyer, these properties could be developed as only affordable housing with families in mind: a place for kids, yards, trees, and neighborhoods. Yet the existing 40B project is mostly market-priced, probably for second homes, with a pathetic few for those who can afford a very small allotment — 15 market-rate units and five affordable ones. Why aren't they being developed as affordable units only? A rhetorical question, of course.

The current proposal, right smack in historic Dennis Village, follows the same process, clear-cutting indigenous trees, not being accountable to our zoning or restrictions, and developers doing whatever they want. Decisions have been/will be made by the Zoning Board of Appeals.

It behooves all residents to become familiar with 40B; its proponents are very clever, and sometimes, decisions are made before anyone is aware. Cape Cod tradition and history are essential to our quality of life here. Travel through the area, near the Dennis bandstand, Dennis Union Church, and the park. Research the Hope Lane and Main Street (Route 6A) Village Courtyard project to appreciate why many of us here in Dennis are apprehensive of this "something wicked."

Bonnie Hempel, Dennis

Under Biden, things are better now

Stock market indices at all-time highs. Unemployment at 50-year lows. President Biden rejected the Reagan ‘supply-side’ strategy of cutting taxes for the wealthy. By building up infrastructure and providing income for the working class caught in the COVID-19 downturn, Biden created a ‘soft landing’ for our economy instead of a widely-predicted recession. Reagan’s tax cuts hollowed out the working class for forty years. President Trump’s cuts would have done the same if Biden’s policies had not turned the economy around. Things are pretty good right now.

If unemployment were zero, our economy would still have 2 million vacant jobs. We need help with that. Yet Trump asked the Republicans in the Senate not to try to fix immigration so he could use it as a campaign issue! To intentionally prolong a national problem for personal reasons is unpatriotic. It is unethical, like fabricating election controversy, when 60 judges (many were Trump appointees) rejected claims of fraud for the absence of a shred of evidence. We’ve had enough of that version of leadership.

In November, we have an opportunity to continue on our upward smooth path or dive back into policies that favor the wealthy over the working class. I hope we reelect President Biden and give him a Democratic Congress. Voters can keep our nation and Cape Cod on an upward trajectory. Please vote!

Steve Waller, Centerville

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Letters: Scott Nickerson's slight of Susan Moran undignified