Letter: Lynette Bond Is a Leader for the Future
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To the Editor:
To me, elections mean hope. My hope with this mayoral election is that our first female mayor will bring fresh energy and ideas to the corner office and usher in a new era for North Adams. As someone who has been involved in our city for many decades, I know it is time to hand the baton to the younger generation. But it gives me tremendous pause when one of the candidates voices contempt for all of the progress and hard work that has taken place in North Adams over the last 12 years and actively alienates anyone who supported this work. It certainly does not give me hope for tomorrow when Ms. Macksey is nostalgic for the past — specifically the past under former mayor John Barrett III.
Some of you may remember La Festa,which was a particular passion of mine back in the 90s. It was an incredible group of volunteers who came together to bring a weeklong Italian festival to our city. We had everything from fireworks to a baseball exchange with kids from Boston's North End (which continues to this day) to games and food and, let's not forget, big name concerts. It was a tremendous amount of work but so incredibly rewarding when you saw how much everyone enjoyed it. By far the hardest part of executing La Festa, in my opinion, was having to work with the then-Mayor Barrett. He stood in our way whenever he could and expected us to pay homage to him in order to get anything done. If Ms. Macksey is nostalgic for this type of leadership, we should all be worried.
Lynette Bond is a leader for the future for all of us. She believes strongly in collaboration and cares deeply for our city. Service and volunteer work is an intrinsic part of who she is and I'm so impressed with all she has accomplished. This ranges from serving on the Planning Board for eight years to ensuring that the Colegrove Park Elementary School project was realized to coaching boys youth basketball. Her energy is boundless and I have absolutely no doubt that she will put everything she has and everything she is into ensuring that our city thrives.
I strongly support Lynette for mayor and hope you will join me in voting for her on Nov. 2. Remember, signs do not win elections, votes do!
Tony and Mary Ann Abuisi
North Adams, Mass.
Mary Ann Abuisi is a retired North Adams city clerk.
Tags: city election, election 2021, letters to the editor,
