Letters to the Editor

Story carries relevance for current times

To the editor,

Every year in December, my family watches “A Christmas Carol.” The 1984 version with George C. Scott as Scrooge is our favorite. The appearance of lawn signs around town this month asking that we choose to consider being either Generous or Greedy coincides nicely with Charles Dickens’ timeless tale of wanton selfishness and joyful redemption.

The words on those signs can be viewed narrowly to refer only to monetary matters dealing with how we decide to share personal or community funds. Yet greed is defined more broadly to mean “intense and selfish desire for something, especially power, wealth or food.”

Likewise, generosity is most importantly a value of spirit, not spending. In fact, it took the visitation of three spirits to help Scrooge learn this. His lesson was foretold initially by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley after Scrooge calls him “a good man of business.” Marley cries “Business! Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were all my business.”

Generosity, as Scrooge discovered, has more to do with extending respect and compassion for others than simple wealth sharing. Success need not be tethered to greed. He could be both a good businessman and a good human being.

I believe this story also carries special relevance for current times as Scrooge is perhaps most famous for declaring Christmas a “humbug.” That word signifies something “designed to deceive and mislead. An attitude or spirit of pretense.”

My hope for the year ahead is that we all can find ways to be more generous in spirit, relying on fact-based dialogue rather than intentional deception to address our challenges. Our world could use a lot less humbug and more humility.

Connie Dykstra

Kennebunkport

Program could have been started years ago

To the editor,

Regarding the story Dec. 20, 2021, concerning the Kennebunk police providing a service to deliver buckets of sand to elderly residents of Kennebunk:

There are some inaccuracies and misstatements therein which should be addressed. Most importantly, the Committee on Aging in the town proposed this program three or four years ago. At the time, we suggested enlisting volunteers from the local high school, or the fire department, or the police department to deliver the sand buckets. At each suggestion we were told by Ms. Winton and Mike Pardue that there was an overriding issue of insurance liability that made these suggestions impossible to implement. Evidently, this issue has somehow been overcome. I commend the police department for doing this work, but, frankly, it could have been started some years ago.

At the time of our initial proposal, I personally asked for donations of five-gallon buckets from Ace Hardware and Deering Lumber, which they graciously agreed to donate. I also arranged for the town to purchase plastic scoops to handle the sand. These items were delivered to the town.

This program of Sand Buckets for Seniors has been running for some time now in a number of towns in Maine, notably Saco and Bowdoinham. In those towns, local residents do the work of delivering the buckets.

The town of Kennebunk is only now beginning this program in a rather Johnny-Come-Lately attempt to do the work that should have been done years ago.

The Committee on Aging has now been disbanded, and all of the work we did will have been for naught. The town wants to take credit for our suggestions, and they should give credit where credit is due.

Bevan Davies, former chair, Kennebunk Committee on Aging
Kennebunk

Dismayed by recall effort

To the editor,

I am dismayed to read about the effort to recall elected members of the RSU 21 School Board. Two members would be affected: chair Art LeBlanc and Tim Stentiford, representing Kennebunk. According to recent newspaper articles, both men won by large margins. The town website states that LeBlanc won with 2,382 votes in 2020. Stentiford’s count is no longer specified — his term is over in June.

In 2020, more than 2,000 people opted not to vote on the school board candidates, probably because they didn’t follow related information. I’m hoping they are not swayed to sign the petitions. The recall efforts specify poor leadership, contentious behavior toward teachers and parents, teachers quitting and increased spending.

However, research into the actual expenditures of the district show judicious spending. Legal fees are down and new human relations expenses are typical of most other school districts in southern Maine. While teacher turnover is also a complaint, RSU21 has no teacher vacancies and turnover is less than state averages. Many assistant positions have been vacated — no surprise during the pandemic.

As for poor leadership and contentious behavior, these are subjective judgments. Please attend a board meeting online (easy through the RSU 21 website) and see for yourself.

I ask my fellow voters, do not sign the petitions now circulating. They are an insult to the candidates we elected. Those who sign the recall are, in effect, throwing out our ballots.