Letters

I want to remind you that we are approaching a critical election, and your participation has never been more important. There are so many issues we face nationally and locally that your vote is needed even more than usual.

What are some of the issues? You know the national issues. Locally, the issues are quality-of-life issues. Here are just a few:

Water quality. This is critical to our health. We must be certain that we assure the quality and pureness of water for our own homes and for our village. Our villages have spent a good deal on this effort, but we are not done.

Affordable housing. Those who work in our villages — health workers, police officers, sanitation workers, teachers — seldom can find places they can afford. This is something that must be addressed if we want the best services we can get.

These issues, along with traffic control, climate improvement, effective schools, to mention just a few of the important ones. There is no easy solution, and we need to listen to what candidates propose and question them.

As an active member of the Democratic Party on the local and county committees, I know and trust the candidates nominated. But any candidates who take the steps to be nominated and put themselves forward deserve to be listened to.

How do we decide on candidates? We are very fortunate to have fair and accurate local newspapers, like this one, with full local coverage. Read it and think.

In addition to the local news, the same corporation publishes Express magazine monthly. In a recent issue, an article opened my eyes to something I had not considered: slave holding on the East End. We look down on slave holders, but don’t think of them as active near where we live now. These slaves were sold to sugar plantations in Cuba. What else don’t we know about?

Don’t forget to vote on November 7. We hear about the 2024 elections, but the local elections deserve our full attention as well. Keep your eyes wide open, read and vote. Our future depends on you.

Nicholas M. Michelli

Water Mill