Letters to the Editor

On My Time on the Town Council

To my friends, family, and constituents,

As some of you know, back in May, I had pulled nomination papers to run for a second term serving as Town Councilor-at-Large.  I have worked hard these past 3.5+ years as Town Councilor-at-Large and was interested in pursuing a second term to continue working on what I, and my fellow Councilors, had started (e.g. work towards the development of the old Middle School, work towards construction of a new Fire Department, work towards establishing ordinances and practices to encourage a more inclusive and diverse Winthrop, etc.).  What I have most enjoyed about being a Town Councilor is having met the wonderful people of Winthrop, many of whom I would not otherwise have met if not for my role as Town Councilor.  Winthrop is a fantastic Town, and it has been a pleasure (although not always easy) serving as a Town Councilor. While I was excited to run for a second term and continue working on these projects, I was questioning myself as to whether I could give this position the time commitment needed when my professional career has become more demanding.

In late June, a young man named Max Tassinari pulled nomination papers to join the race for the At-Large Town Council seat.  I was introduced to Max through a mutual friend and what I noticed right away about Max was his intelligence and open earnestness.  Along the campaign trail I have come to get to know Max on a personal level.  He and his wife bought a home in Winthrop two years ago and have chosen to raise their two children here. With roots in East Boston, and ties to Winthrop that span decades, Max’s family has a long history in law enforcement and politics. Max holds commitment to his family, friends, and neighbors close to his heart.

On a professional level, to say I was impressed with Max would be an understatement.  He has an MBA and has six years’ experience as a senior budget official with a state agency.  He has extensive experience with management and business operations. 

Recognizing all of this about Max and knowing that he would make an excellent Councilor-at-Large for Winthrop, as well as recognizing that my career responsibilities will not allow me to dedicate the time that the seat requires, I am humbly withdrawing myself from the race for the 4-year Town Council-at-Large seat, which will begin in January of 2024.

With all this being said, I am wholeheartedly endorsing Max Tassinari for the Councilor-at-Large seat and I ask that my friends, family, and constituents put their enthusiastic support behind him as well.  Max is committed to improving schools, delivery of Town services, and being efficient and accountable to our taxpayers and much more.   I believe that Max Tassinari is the person to carry on all the work of the Council and to be a listener and a voice for all of Winthrop.

The Town-wide elections are November 7.  Please get out and VOTE for Max Tassinari, Councilor-at-Large. You will not be disappointed.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Sincerely,

Tracey Honan

Councilor-at-Large

Climate change is Happening

Dear Editor,

We have all felt the horrendous weather this summer.  Heat, humidity, rain,  thunderstorms, floods, and tornadoes have wreaked havoc on our country.

The Southwest has gotten clobbered.  The heated ocean waters off the coast of Florida are destroying the coral reefs. Whales are dying as they beach themselves on our shores.  Ice caps are melting causing sea levels to rise. Firestorms have hit Canada hard, destroying Canadian forests and causing a tremendous amount of  smoke to permeate our air.

The Copernicus Climate change Service has stated that “July is poised to be the hottest month ever on record.”

Recently, the New York Times exposed the area known as the Fertile Crescent (Israel, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Iran, West Bank, and Gaza) to be devastated by the effect of the shriveling up of the Euphrates River.  This has caused the  Mesopotamia Region to be without water in many regions.   Forty percent of Iraq, an area roughly the size of Florida, has been overtaken by blowing desert sands.

Italy and Greece have also been hit hard by record setting temperatures.

Severe wildfires have scorched and devastated forests, homes, farms, and animals.

All regions on our Earth have been affected.  Climate change has become real and not just words.  It is not a time to be frightened but it is a time for  ACTION!  We must all join hands in an attempt to work together to stop this  “BEAST.”

We all acknowledge that there are wars across our world….destroying lives.

But Climate change is destroying our whole world!

It is vital for all global governments to band together to find and implement  solutions to “Climate change”.  We must stop supporting the oil and gas producing industries that create the fossil fuels causing the  emission of poisonous gases into our atmosphere and cause Climate change.  

Wealthier countries need to financially support under-developed countries, so they will be able to share in our goals.

Finally, we all have an obligation to protect our planet but more importantly, our first obligation is to take care of our children and the generations of children to come.

Please join your environmental community in supporting the fight against fossil fuels, thus protecting our children and our Earth.

Maryalice Sharkey

Mothers Out Front