LETTERS

To the editor: Although the Marblehead Festival of Arts Literary Festival is now in our collective rear-view mirrors, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Marblehead's Philanthropic Lodge F. & A. M. (Masons) for its very generous financial support. Thanks to the Lodge's donation, the Literary Festival was able to offer honorariums to five speakers and workshop leaders this year, each of whom attracted good-sized audiences of those interested in writing, books and other subjects related to marketing participants' works. It also helped…

To the editor: Skyrocketing costs of groceries, gas and utilities are painful, and being made worse by tariffs and oil wars. Healthcare is prohibitively expensive and rising. The astronomical expense of housing creates brutal obstacles for people just to have a place to live. And what will happen to the Social Security and Medicare that we’ve paid for and are counting on (especially for senior citizens)? The current administration is failing us; something is broken; we deserve much better. For this reason, I am strongly…

To the editor:The Marblehead Food Pantry would like to thank Mass Bay Facility Services for donating their time, expertise and materials to clean, paint and repair our food storage facility.The company is owned and operated by Billy Garcia since it was founded 14 years ago. When the pantry sought bids for the project, Mr. Garcia came forward and proposed his desire to give back to the community.He was inspired by the efforts of food pantry volunteers and their tireless dedication to providing food to those…

To the editor:  As a lifelong Democrat with leanings towards independence, I watched the Seth Moulton-Ed Markey ”fiery” debate Monday night thinking how privileged we are to be able to witness a public debate which I am appreciating more and more as a crucial element of democracy. I started volunteering for Seth Moulton 11 years ago because I sensed that he was a different kind of candidate. While I am respectful of Ed Markey’s 50 years of service and commitment to issues that are meaningful…

To the editor: I will never forget the first time I walked into my local polling place. Standing in line alongside neighbors of all ages and backgrounds, I felt an immediate sense of connection — and a profound realization that my vote carried the exact same weight as anyone else’s. Casting a ballot is a fundamental civic duty, and standing in that line was one of the very first times I truly felt like a grown-up. I realized that I held real power to shape…

To the editor: On Aug. 3, Sen. Edward Markey met representative Seth Moulton for the second of three televised debates in advance of the Democratic primary. If you have not taken the time to tune in, I urge you to do so for the third debate which will occur on Aug. 20. Why? Because the major take-away from the confrontation could not be learned from the printed transcripts or from reports of the debate. Despite a few points of conflict, the political positions of the…

To the editor,  The recent Markey/Moulton debate proved to me that debates are not always the best way to discover who is the best candidate since a debate strategy seems to be who can land the most impactful jab without providing full, accurate information. Sen. Ed Markey and Congressman Seth Moulton have both held office for years, been recognized for their contributions, and tend to agree on a majority of policies; therefore, by now we should all have knowledge about each candidate’s positions and priorities.…

To the editor: On July 30, the International Day of Friendship, Marblehead Harbor Rotary hosted eight 16- and 17-year-old Friends Forever International participants from Northern Ireland for a day in Marblehead. FFI (ff.international) is an empathy-based leadership program that develops the skills young people can use to help overcome challenges in their communities.  Throughout our 22-year relationship with FFI, Harbor Rotary has been deeply grateful to the citizens and purveyors of Marblehead for their rich history, public spaces, and amenities that contribute to making the FFI…

To the editor: A Marblehead police officer recently came to my home because someone complained about my children’s hockey net. The officer was courteous and professional. After he left, I looked at the net, thought about dragging it into the garage, and then looked across the street at a boat trailer that had been sitting there for weeks. My first thought wasn’t, “This isn’t fair.” It was, “What happened to us?” Not because of the complaint itself, but because no one simply came over to…

It has become very dangerous to be a cyclist on the North Shore, especially in Marblehead. Our roads are pitted with improper repairs after construction leaving depressions and holes. One risks severe physical injury if you hit one of these depressions, or if you bypass them you may stray into the center of the road. This could lead to vehicular danger. Naturally, unavoidable damage to the bicycle itself can occur.   The saddest aspect of this state of affairs, is that this was BEFORE the recent…