There is a lack of political balance on the Groton Town Council, encouraging tendencies to promote party over public, with all councilors tending to march in "lock-step" on major decisions. A recent example involved the all-Democratic party council endorsing preliminary proposals for the Mystic Oral School property without vetting the developer or consulting with nearby residents. The result is now a mess.

A major future solution will be a council with proper representation by both political parties. So far, I feel confident these seven people would be a positive influence for Groton, especially with child care, education, economics, open space, and the many environmental issues:

Democrats: Portia Bordelon, Aundre Bumgardner and Juan Melendez

Republicans: Scott Westervelt, Jennifer White, Kathy Chase and Robert Boris

Basically, I tend to vote the person, not the party, and try not to let national issues or personalities influence my thinking on local issues. Let's have a good campaign.

Ed Johnson

Noank