To the Editor:
We’ve heard about how much experience matters as that’s been the narrative of the Easton Republican Town Committee – and reiterated in RTC Acting Chair Lou DiPietro’s Nov. 3 letter – whose candidates for office in Town Hall are the incumbents. Easton’s Democratic selectmen did support Debbie Szegedi in April 2022, showing they value bipartisanship. After she has served in this role for the past 18 months, the Easton Democratic Town Committee has chosen to endorse Whendi Cook Broderick for Town Clerk.
Dr. Cook Broderick’s articulation at the Nov. 1 candidate forum that she’s unafraid of what she doesn’t know – and her affirmation of her commitment to proactively seek answers and to act with integrity – is an important acknowledgement, not a shortcoming. If a Clerk is reluctant to face uncertainty, the Town can lose significant and important grant funding; documents can be filed improperly; highly qualified public servants may be prevented from seeking reelection; the community may be unaware of open seats in elections and uninformed about the specifics of restricted votes.
In his letter, Mr. DiPietro’s quotes are strung together, not wholly accurate, and imply to readers that Whendi’s remarks are trivial or unsubstantiated. They are neither. I trust Easton residents can see through his attempt to diminish her.
It’s not clear what Mr. DiPietro means in asking whether Easton can afford to change horses mid-stream. He doesn’t say where such a stream might be heading. The direction of our community is up to the residents of Easton through participation in local governance.
Hilary Desmond
Easton
