What a surprise that the first selectman of the town of Lyme, Steve Mattson, having secured reelection in 2021, has announced that he will step down in July and not finish his term, allowing the remaining selectmen to appoint the next person to that position rather than to risk an honest election. Mattson knows what he is doing; this is the same undemocratic game that he and Ralph Eno once played, which led to Mattson being appointed rather than elected to his first term. Both town parties are in on this con. Last year, the Democratic and the Republican Town Committees endorsed Mattson to guarantee no rivals for an election. It was payback for Mattson securing the same privilege for Eno. And it follows a troubling pattern in which the voters of Lyme have no choice in their leadership. Shame on all involved for continuing this antidemocratic practice, which leaves open the legitimacy of the next first selectman. But it is an apt bookend for Mattson, who came to the position thanks to a backdoor deal and who leaves showing equal disrespect to the democratic process and to the rights of the citizens of Lyme. Let that be his legacy.

Dr. Stephen Olbrys Gencarella

Lyme