Good on the Legislature
Dear Editor:
I am so pleased that the Legislature decided before it adjourned on July31to continue meeting this fall to catch up on so many important bills that got delayed due to the impact of the virus. Our leaders should do all they can to provide medical and economic relief for our state from this difficult time.
I also think that they should provide relief for many of our citizens who are terminally ill with other diseases like cancer by passing The End of Life Options Act. we would become the 10th state to do so. It would give people with 6 months or less to live mentally capable of making their own healthcare decisions,and facing unbearable pain and suffering at the end of life the option of obtaining a medication prescribed by their doctor and taking it if they chose to have a peaceful death in their sleep.
Please join me in contacting our local legislators including Robert DeLeo. Thank them for all they are doing to deal with the virus and urge them to support this compassionate aid to the dying.
Phyllis Poor
It Is Time to Make a Stand
Dear Editor,
Almost four years ago, One Winthrop formed and became vocal in Winthrop around social justice issues. Our statements were often met with denial from residents and town leaders. We were told many times: Yes racism, anti-Semitism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination exist, “but not here, Winthrop doesn’t have a racism problem.†Now we have a confirmed hate group on our front door every Thursday from 2-4pm, and Winthrop residents joining them in clear hate speech – using inflammatory and discriminatory language against People of Color, women, and LGBTQ+ persons. It is clear we have a problem, all towns and cities do in our nation. Winthrop is not immune or an exception: it is everywhere, embedded into the fabric of our nation.
We urge you, as our Town Council and leaders, to issue a strong public statement condemning hate speech in all its forms to be published in multiple outlets, including but not limited to, the Winthrop Transcript, town website, and social media. We need to show our community, our residents who identify as Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), that we support them and stand in solidarity against hate.
Many have suggested this come from our newly formed Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Relations committee; however, we recognize that it will be months before this is a fully functioning government committee in a position to do this. Committee formations take time that we do not have with our town being targeted each week.
One Winthrop urges you to act now.
Signed:
One Winthrop
One Winthrop is a community driven initiative that seeks to counteract the current rhetoric and incidents of discrimination and violence. We stand for racial justice, women’s rights, civil liberties and civil rights for immigrants, LGBTQ+ rights, religious freedom, refugee support, economic equality, and voting rights.
Stephanie Recchia, MSW, LICSW
Julia Wallerce
Wendy Millar-Page
Suzanne Leonard
Alan Billing
Leah Hart Tennen, MSW, MPH, LICSW
Deboarh Scearbo
Amy Carroll
Bob Carroll
Ralph Tufo
Elaine Abrams
Frank Costantino
Jeannette Roy
Carol Carver
Leonora Foley
Dr. Maxwell and Sylvia Whiting
Alexis Teevens
Vin Recchia
Eliana Southworth
Katie Belle
Rev. Terri Powell Bracy
Justin Pasquariello
Vanessa Fazio
Alyson Casey Dewar
Nancy Tufo
Leonora Foley
Alyssa Jackson
Katrina Donovan
Lara Van Lannen
Dave Roberts
Nicki Powers
Frederick Wright
Jeremy (Scott) Mahoney-Wright
Ayden Seguritan
Joseph Aiello
Lisa Alberghini
Peter Roche
Ben Schad
Marc and Sherry Wallerce
Chris Wallerce
Lisa Schad
Elizabeth Jones
Donelle Bucholtz
Michael Bacon
Timothy Burgers
Elizabeth Jones
Heather Engman
Claire McManus
Vinny and Kelly Wisniewski
Eschina Orcel
Maria Drewnowski
Support of Suffolk Downs Development Proposal
Dear Editor,
The following letter was submitted to the Boston Planning and Development Agency and received by the Journal for publication
Dear BPDA Board Members:
I am a lifelong neighbor of the former Suffolk Downs racetrack, including residency in East Boston overlooking the site, and I currently reside in Winthrop which has a direct interest in the site due to its proximity. I have served the City of Boston as the Transportation Department Commissioner, as the Parks and Recreation Department Commissioner, as the Housing Inspection Department Commissioner and as the Manager of the East Boston Little City Hall. I enthusiastically endorse and support the HYM proposal before you regarding their innovative and comprehensive proposal for developing the disused former racetrack facility and urge the BPDA to expeditiously approve the proposal.
The HYM plan ingeniously connects both key public segments of the overall 161-acre site, East Boston with two thirds of the property and Revere with the other one third of the site. The HYM Suffolk Downs proposal is laudatory enough for its success in melding the various public policy requirements of these two diverse municipalities into a comprehensive and seamless design, a remarkable achievement.
The HYM commitment for providing some 1,500 affordable housing units in its mix of 10,000 total housing units is substantial and historic and would set a benchmark for other developers.
The HYM proposal to provide 40 acres of parks and open space would partially compensate East Boston for its decades of takings of community facilities such as Wood Island Park for public projects, such as Logan Airport, the Tunnels, Route 1A, et al.
The HYM proposal would optimize the public transit potential for serving the Suffolk Downs site by the two MBTA Blue Line stations in East Boston and Revere, substantially reducing any dependence of the property for vehicular access. The HYM plan would also significantly enhance much of the local roadway network to accommodate any moderate traffic increase that might occur.
John Vitagliano