Writers weigh in on local elections, topics making headlines: Letters
I support Bob McGrath for Rye Select Board
March 4 — To the Editor:
After careful consideration of the (three) candidates who are running for the town of Rye Select Board, I have decided to put my support behind Bob McGrath. He has the kind of values that I believe are widely shared in Rye, and is the only candidate in the field who has actually served in town, as our animal control officer. It was his experience in this position, I believe, that in part led Bob to run.
Long before Bob served as our ACO, he ran a successful business, where he learned that leadership is best accomplished from the front, setting an example. He also learned that the most effective way to change inappropriate or unwanted behaviors was to understand why they were happening. As ACO, Bob applied these principles; when he was called upon to engage with the owners of a loose dog on the beach during non-permitted hours, he always asked how they had gotten to the beach. Were they staying in a house on the beach itself, and did they not see the signs indicating that dogs are not permitted in the summer during most of the daylight hours? If so, he politely informed them of the policy, and asked them to remove the animal. Those that came by way of the town rights-of-way often said that they misunderstood the signage. Bob recognized that this was an understandable confusion, but it sadly often meant that the offenders would have to leave after having made a long drive to our beach, a very unhappy situation for all. Bob came to understand that we need to inform not only Rye citizens on our ordinances, but also provide clear and unambiguous guidance to visitors, so a key initiative for him is to update our messaging, including signage and our town website, establishing expectations for citizens and visitors alike.
Bob also understands that the Select Board is an executive role, and as such requires collaboration with a variety of other boards, committees and commissions. This need was brought into stark relief this past year, when Rye experienced a disruptive contamination of the water supply from one of the three public utilities which serve our town. It became very apparent that the executive Select Board needed to collaborate with not only the utility (to understand what had happened) but also with other parts of government (land use boards and entities controlling public lands) to try to provide a long-term solution. Rye is still very much in the throes of “water issues” — drinking water, waste water, water in which we recreate, and the ongoing threat of rising tides. We need to adapt to changes in our town — demographic changes, climate change, land use change — the list is long. This will require a significant effort and knowledge of the workings of the town government, and an ability to work with constituencies that are beyond the direct control of the executive board.
Bob McGrath is the only candidate who has demonstrated experience in working with town departments, managing a business with many independent suppliers, and an understanding of what is required to get things done through leadership.
Lastly, whatever your view on our town politics, if you live in Rye, please vote on March 14.
Rob Wright
Rye
Bruce Valley is an exceptional choice for leadership in Rye
March 5 — To the Editor:
In support of my good friend, Bruce Valley, and of his offer to serve the town of Rye in the upcoming elections for the school board and the board of selectmen, the following remarks are addressed to the good people of Rye.It was my honor and privilege to serve the community of Rye until my recent retirement as senior pastor of the Rye Congregational Church. I cannot imagine a better way to learn about the town and its people than serving daily in the very center of the community. I never lost my sense of joy and responsibility whenever I approached that place.
That blend of joy and responsibility factors into everything that is done in Rye. The joy of a recreational cyclist on Washington Road depends on the responsibility of motorists whose attention and courtesy for others make it possible.
So it is with recreational activities in Rye, or the many functions that are a daily part of the junior high or elementary school.
A steady hand at the wheel, courtesy and respect for others, a good reservoir of knowledge and experience, respect for established norms, avoidance of extremes and sudden turns without regard to potential consequences, a head for safety — these are indispensable qualities not only for navigating the Piscataqua River but for leadership in the town of Rye.
Bruce Valley is an exceptional choice for such leadership in times like these. For the good of Rye, please consider voting for Bruce Valley in the upcoming elections.
Rev. Ron Lavoie
Epping
Vote Cathy Hodson to preserve historic character of Rye
March 6 — To The Editor:
As we celebrate the 400th birthday of Rye, we are fortunate to have a candidate running for the Select Board who is dedicated to preserving the historic character of our town. But that’s not all! Cathy Hodson, having lived here for 44 years and raised a family here, is aware of the present day issues facing our citizens, while at the same time having the vision to plan ahead for inevitable climate change.
Her master of science degree in accounting and her years off professional experience in the field give her a solid foundation for approaching these issues in a fiscally responsible manner, and with her enthusiasm, energy and love for Rye, we can be assured that constructive action will be taken.
Please join me in voting for Cathy Hodson for Rye Select Board.
Cynthia Muse
Rye
Since Walgreens is not supporting women, we shouldn't support Walgreens
March 5 — To the Editor:
Walgreens has caved and is taking the abortion pill off its shelves. Maybe not in your state or town ... yet. Whatever you spend goes into the Walgreen corporate pocket. Show them what happens when women, and the men who love them, care rather than cave. Shop only stores who support women’s reproductive rights. Move your prescriptions anywhere else. Write to every corporation — at the bottom of every corporate site is a “Contact” email site — and tell them why. Tell the pharmacist in the store. Get the word out. Be the change!
Carol Selsberg
Eliot, Maine
Wrong to allow children under 16 to mutilate their bodies
March 6 — To the Editor:
If it wasn’t true, it would be funny. The recent “commentary” published by Foster’s “Protecting transgender children and their families in NH” is alarming. The idea that we are allowing children to mutilate their bodies when we won’t even let them drive a car until they’re 16 years old is wrong. The people who penned these words need to be kept as far away from children as possible!
Fred Leonard
Rochester
Bruce Valley will be an outstanding selectman for Rye
March 8 — To the Editor:
Bruce Valley was born and raised in Rye, graduated from Rye Junior High in about 1957, and returned to his hometown to retire.
After graduating from Phillips Exeter and the U.S. Naval Academy, Valley served his country all over this world from Washington D.C., Japan and Turkey, among other places. Besides his desire to serve, it is the book he wrote that defines him as one of Rye’s own. “Seahawk, Confessions of an OLD Hockey Goalie” is a personal memoir of a 14-year-old goalie playing town hockey on Rye’s frozen ponds and playing a championship game at the Boston Garden, with a group of Rye men, some World War II veterans. The three men on the book’s black and white cover says it all about this town and the time: Bill Jenness, Phil Drake, and Robert Hoyt, his teammates, were men you could trust.
Bruce is a humble man, and not the type to put out hundreds of road signs, but do not let that stop you from voting for a man who will be an outstanding selectman for our town. Please consider Bruce Valley when you vote March 14.
Mark Schlieper
Rye
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Writers weigh in on local elections, topics making headlines: Letters
