Letter to the Editor: Democracy is on the Ballot … Even Here in Old Lyme

To the Editor:

Tip O’Neill famously said, “All politics is local.” Most people have taken the phrase literally—interpreting it to mean voters care most about the issues that touch their daily lives. But to me it means more. It’s a reminder that what happens on our streets, in our schools, and in our town halls doesn’t stay here. It shapes the pipeline of leadership for our state and country.

Consider this: the next Marjorie Taylor Greene, the next Matt Gaetz, the next J.D. Vance—they won’t appear out of thin air. They will start small, running for school boards, city councils, planning commissions. And people like them are doing that right now, in communities across America.

Even if you think Old Lyme isn’t one of those communities, let’s not forget the other side of that truth. The next Barack Obama, the next Pete Buttigieg, the next Chris Murphy—they too are out there, serving on local boards, answering calls from neighbors, running not for fame, but to make their communities better. That’s how leadership begins.

We live in a time when the line between local and national politics has nearly disappeared. National battles over book bans, over how history is taught, over immigration, redistricting, tariffs, and women’s rights—have all come here.

Justice Louis Brandeis once called states “laboratories of democracy.” I would add: so are towns. The choices we make ripple outward. They set examples. They build momentum. And in this moment, when democracy itself feels fragile, those choices carry more weight than ever.

When we cast our votes in November, we must see candidates for what they are. Not just neighbors willing to serve—though that matters. Not just people offering to wrestle with budgets, zoning, or infrastructure—though that matters too. But as guardians of a broader idea: that democracy works best when decent, ethical, thoughtful people are willing to step up, take the heat, and serve the public good.

Our job – all of us – is to stand with them. Because what happens here shapes not just our town’s future, but the direction of our country. The story of America is not written only in Washington. It’s being written in towns like Old Lyme, in elections like these, with choices made by people like us.

So let’s choose wisely. And let’s hold candidates accountable for their choices. In this moment, you cannot wear the jersey and claim you’re not on the team. 

Most of all, let’s send a message that despite what Donald Trump and his party are trying to do nationally, here in Old Lyme, democracy is alive and well.

Sincerely,

Dave Rubino,
Old Lyme