Thank You for a Successful Season
Dear Editor,
If you walked through the Farmers Market at Ingleside Park this summer (+ a little bit of spring and fall!), you may have noticed a colorful cluster of tunnels and climbers crawling with babies and small children and- if you were there between 10-11- live music with a very animated and rotating performer. That was the Project Play section of the market and, now that the season has come to a close, we want to take a moment to reflect on its success and thank the many people who made that possible.
First, thank you to the volunteer members of the Winthrop Farmers Market board who spearheaded the market’s return to our community after many years without one. Farmers markets bring so much more than fresh produce to a community (although that produce is certainly a headliner!) and we love that they also are opportunities to see friends, support local artists and learn about community issues. We also love that the bi-weekly markets were the perfect space for Project Play to set up our signature popup play space and host regular children’s musicians so that families with young children could mingle, little ones could play and rock out, and the whole family could enjoy a morning together at the market. Thank you for giving us space in the shade to be a part of it, we hope you all had as much fun as we did!
We’d also like to call gracious attention to the individuals and businesses who sponsored our live children’s concert series at each farmers market and made it possible for Project Play to offer this entertainment for free, for everyone. Please join us in thanking:
• Ralph Tufo aka “Captain Ralph” who donated his time as our performer at the inaugural market in May
• Jenny Fucillo Golic, realtor with Lantern Residential
• Bob “Papa” DeLeo
• Senator Lydia Edwards
• Dmitriy Khesin, realtor with Coldwell Banker
• Tradewinds Fitness
• Representative Jeff Turco
Please also join us in collectively applauding our performers who brought so much interest and joy to each market, especially for our youngest residents: Jeff Jam, Ralph Tufo, Little Groove, and Music at the Blissful. We can’t wait to bring them and other creative children’s specialists back to our community in places like the new Community Playgroups at FKO, the Winthrop Parent Network classroom, and other spaces throughout town where young children and their grownups can move, groove and play together! In essence, that is the mission of Project Play, and we welcome your ideas, your questions and your support as we continue to build out our programs, partnerships, and events for our community.
You can relive the fun of the season by checking out the photos and videos on our Facebook and Instagram, or contact us at [email protected]
Thank you!
Project Play Winthrop (Julia Wallerce, Christine Boncore, Liz Bryant, Caitlin VanSlooten, Elana Cogliano, Laura Christopher)
Supporting Max Tassinari
Dear Editor,
I have enjoyed watching Max Tassinari grow from a young adult to the family man and working professional that he is today. Max continues a legacy of a Winthrop and East Boston family that cares deeply for his neighbors and community and always seeks to find ways to solve problems. He brings thoughtfulness, inquisitiveness and balance to the issues before him.
I am endorsing Max Tassinari for Councilor at Large because he brings his experience and judgement to some of the most important issues we are facing. Among those issues are how to fund the needed improvements in our water/sewer systems, our buildings and parks and our streets and sidewalks while working within the financial constraints we have as a Town.
Max is a leader who has pushed the Town government to be transparent about the condition of our infrastructure. We have learned by example that we are currently losing $1 million/year in leaking water pipes and that the fix is approximately $60 million. We see damaging flooding during heavy rains on Main, Pleasant, Washington and other streets. These are caused by degraded pipes that are often 100 years old. Max is forcing ourselves to confront these issues and seek solutions.
Max brings three great principles to the table- 1) We must find ways to maximize our ability to find where the state and federal grants are- Max knows this area because of his professional background
2) We must look at our budget and purchasing policies to make sure we are competitively bidding to achieve low prices and superior performance from vendors ( again Max brings this experience) and 3) The residents must have a voice in how we prioritize fixing what needs to be fixed.
We need to get this right because we need to ensure we can use our resources for schools, the elderly, for parks and recreation and other needs. Max will be an immediate impact player in the Council and I ask my fellow voters to please join me in voting for him on election day.
Joe Aiello
Councilor Precinct 5
Supports Max Tassinari
Dear Editor,
Close to 40 years ago, I started getting involved in serving my community in the Willis PTA, Winthrop School Committee (6 years), the Health Education Review Committee, and in the Committee that oversaw the construction of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Winthrop High School. I’ve also been involved in the organization of local, state, and national elections.
At this point in my life, however, I look for younger Winthrop residents who are dedicated and capable of community service. Specifically, in this upcoming November 7th election for Town Councilor at Large, I heartily endorse Max Tassinari.
Max Tassinari and his wife Tonia are homeowners here in Winthrop. They have two children ages 4 and 2. Given Max’s 15 years of experience in accounting, compliance, and strategic budgeting in both the private and government sectors; he brings knowledge and vision to the Council regarding how our precious tax dollars are spent.
It was meeting Max in person, however, that assured me of his commitment to integrity, transparency, and compassion if given the chance to serve the Winthrop community. Vote for Max Tassinari for Councilor at Large on Tuesday, November 7th.
???????Sincerely,
???????Donna Segreti Reilly
Why I Endorse Todd Sacco for Councilor at Large
Dear Editor,
I have known Todd Sacco for the better part of forty ears, maybe longer. I went to school with his brother Trov and know his brother Jim as well. Todd is a family man with deep roots in our community.
He lives here, raises his family here and sends his kids to local schools. I have always known Todd to be argumentative but only when he is advocating for someone without a voice or trulv believes in his side of the issue. He believes that the best solutions come from healthy debate on the issues of the day.
Todd has always believed that regardless of your political affiliation, you have the right to be heard. He stands up against “Cancel Culture”. Todd does not shrink when outnumbered by those that would like to silence him because he doesn’t fall into line and support their agenda; instead he points out how their agenda has or will adversely affect our community. A community he and I have been fortunate to call home for the majority of our lives.
Much too often. the public is spoon fed one side of the story by the powers that be in order to gain support for their agenda, with Todd Sacco you will hear both sides of the story, some spirited debate and the result will be that we are all more informed. Our national politicians are a disgrace, either supporting extreme liberal policies or burying their heads in the sand and refusing to take up the issues that are now affecting every city and town in the country. We have all become Border States and sanctuary cities and towns. Schools, hospitals and our system of economic assistance designed to help the less fortunate among us are all becoming overwhelmed and cannot be sustained serving the numbers of people that are being sent to them currently.
The time has come to say “Enough is enough” and there is one voice that has been saying it for sometime.
The time has come for Todd Sacco.
I proudly support and endorse my friend Todd Sacco for Councilor at Large on November 7th.
Sincerely,
Sean Delehanty
Stop Polluting, End Climate-Devastating Private Jet Expansion
Dear Editor,
Private jets are hazardous to our health and the health of the planet. Private planes are up to 14 times more polluting, per passenger, than commercial planes and 50 times more polluting than trains, according to a report by Transport & Environment, a European clean transport campaign organization. Short private jet trips are even worse: An Institute for Policy Studies report estimates that the per-passenger CO2 emissions from a private jet flight between New York City and Washington, D.C. are approximately 45 times as much as the per-passenger emissions from a traveler flying commercially on the same route (and more than 1,100 times the emissions of a person on a train!). A single private luxury jet trip to Asia generates more carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) than a typical family in India generates in an entire lifetime. To add insult to injury, incredibly, private jets are exempt from sales tax, their facilities are exempt from property tax, and they provide huge tax breaks to their owners.
Luckily, there is a growing awareness of the disproportionate harm caused private jet use by the wealthy few. In a first, Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport has proposed a ban on private jets by 2026 because of climate impacts and justice issues.
Yet, amidst this growing awareness of the disproportionate harm caused by private jet travel, Massport is proposing to triple the number of hangars at Hanscom Civil Airport for the exclusive use of private luxury jets – the most carbon-intensive form of travel per passenger. To be clear, this expansion has nothing to do with military flights or activities at the Air Force Base, but is rather about building nearly one-half million sq. ft more hangar space for private jets. If the proposed expansion goes forward, emissions from private jets at Hanscom are projected to grow by millions of tons, jeopardizing Massachusetts’ ability to attain its 2050 emission goals.
Recognizing the threat to the planet posed by this proposed massive expansion of private jet facilities, 39 local and statewide climate action and climate justice organizations, including Mothers Out Front Winthrop, have joined forces to form the Coalition to Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere. Further recognizing the disproportionate burden that communities near airports, especially large, busy, urban airports like Logan, suffer from air traffic, as well as the devastating climate consequences of private jet travel, the coalition, while currently focused on Massport’s immediate proposed expansion of Hanscom, made sure that the campaign’s broader goal is to stop private jet expansion anywhere.
We urge you to join the efforts to Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere and sign the petition (Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere – Action Network) asking Governor Maura Healey to stop this private luxury jet expansion that is so clearly contrary to the Commonwealth’s Climate Goals and dangerous to the health of the planet.
For more information on the campaign to stop private jet expansion at Hanscom or anywhere, or to sign up for updates, go to https://www.stopprivatejetexpansion.org/
Maryalice Sharkey
Christine Kinsey
Co-coordinators
Mothers Out Front
Winthrop