To the Editor:
It is hard to ignore the sheer number and strategic placement of the Old Lyme Republican campaign signs this election cycle. When the going gets tough, they even mount them on pickup trucks and dispatch them for maximum impact.
However, one element is conspicuously absent: the word REPUBLICAN. The party name is often missing entirely or relegated to small print, much like a required warning label. Further confusing the issue, many signs prominently feature the color blue, traditionally associated with the Democratic party, with only a small hint of red. This calculated misdirection raises a critical question: Why are local candidates actively hiding their party identity?
In a local election, this confusion is not just a branding choice; it is a vital matter of accountability. It is no surprise that the GOP candidates should try to distance themselves from the Trump administration’s policies: attempts to cut state funding (particularly targeting states like Connecticut), opposition to essential clean-energy projects like Revolution Wind that would support our future electricity needs, cuts to Medicaid, voting suppression and gerrymandering, culture wars terrorizing immigrant and minority communities. But they cannot pretend that the national GOP ideologies do not infect local policies. For example, recall the memory of the Republican-led attack on our library and books two years ago, or the written diatribe from a current GOP candidate for the Board of Education admonishing our school system to prohibit any questioning of gender identity.
Given the clearly adverse impacts of the Trump administration’s policies on Connecticut, voters deserve to know where our local candidates stand. Therefore, I ask each candidate, without spin or evasion: Do you, on the whole, support the policies and leadership of the Trump administration? A simple yes or no answer is required to ensure that voters can make an informed choice. Your silence will be deafening.
Sincerely,
Howard Margules,
Old Lyme.
This is a very interesting letter!I do think that both parties should consider using other shades in the color palette to advertise their candidates.It is a simple matter of advertising and getting the attention of people driving by who are already sensory overloaded with information.I like the combination of orange with blue,but that is just me speaking.I’m not running for anything.
I do have an issue which has nothing to do with what we faced in the last election,the choice being Trumpian ignorance versus Biden senility/Harris I’m still not sure what.That is safety on Old Lyme’s trails,whether land owned by the Land Trust or Open Space Committee.More to the point,unleashed dogs.I run on either the Champlain South or McCulloch/Lay trail network everyday.You can all join me if you wish.It is a state law,along with being stated on the signage at the entrances,that all dogs must be leashed.Must.No gray area there.It is for the safety of the other users as well as those pet dogs.A group of wild animals might kill a dog if Fido decides to give chase,Many might feel it is striking a blow against government mandates and giving Washington,DC the finger but all it does is harm ourselves.I have been bitten and chased by unleashed dogs and no,I should not have to carry dog spray.You are required,however,to leash your dog.Required.The issue could raise money for the town by having constables do walking patrols and giving out fines.
Works for me!
He’s mad at signs?
Shouldn’t we all be?We are being overloaded with letters and words screaming out for our attention.Disposable messages with only fleeting meaning to our current societal dilemma.It could be classed as a lowbrow art form which has taken on a genius of its own.Hence in my house there are several framed Orangina ads.They evoke thoughts of sitting at a train station in Lille on a warm May morning waiting for the next TGV train.Or,maybe sitting in the New Haven train station on said May morning wondering if your Amtrak train will show up at all.All of these thoughts set off by a beverage ad of watered down orange juice someone decided to put fizz in.I somehow doubt you needed to hear this stream of consciousness on a Sunday morning but it was an attempt to maybe explain the original writer’s ire at signs.Me,I’m more nettled by dogs chasing me down winding trails.No matter how good my trail running shoes are,at 58 I’m not as speedy or agile as I once was…
Only those that use subterfuge!
Lyme’s two Republican Selectmen candidates, the husband and wife team, Tom and Kathy St. Louis, have not given a yes or no to your question of whether they “support the policies and leadership of the Trump administration”, however they were driving forces in the effort you mention to ban books which may be a clue.