Category: Your View

The sad and sudden demise of Malcolm MacGregor made me remember his friendship and wisdom. Malcolm was my advisor and co-worker in Plymouth’s planning politics during the past decade. When he was chair of the Planning Board, Malcolm drove me around Plymouth and showed me sites for potential developments. He promoted Plymouth Village Development plan, […]

This is in response to Fred Thys’s recent article “Who really cares about a town election?” A Bloomberg News article caught my attention. It covered survey results from newspapers representing 246 elections over two decades showing that cities with fewer reporters see fewer people running for office and fewer people voting. Other surveys show similar […]

Plato said, “The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.”  Those elected to public office in Plymouth were seated with only 10 percent of all eligible voters casting a ballot. [About] ninety of all Plymouth voters were not motivated, a glaring vote of “no confidence” in […]

Bill Keohan, chair of the Community Preservation Committee, has done a remarkable job. For the last 20-plus years, Mr. Keohan has been the accomplished and energetic face of the CPC at Town Meeting. During this time, he has shepherded countless CPC articles through Town Meeting. He has earned many times over the respect of Town […]

Plymouth has always been a destination for tourists, historians, and those who love the spend time by Massachusetts’ beautiful coastline. When The Salvation Army was located on the waterfront, we had the opportunity to meet people from around the world who were touched personally by our social services and programs. Like many nonprofit organizations, times […]

Several recent [letters] in this column [Your View] have asserted that more information is needed about candidates for local offices. Certainly, voters need to be informed if they are to be expected to vote! For over 65 years the League of Women Voters of the Plymouth Area has strived to provide the citizens of Plymouth […]

I read the four responses to “why such a low voter turnout?” After thinking on what most people said were the reasons for such apathy, it struck me that these responses summed up exactly what’s wrong with our town and on a broader scope, our entire country. All but one person basically said the candidates, […]

For years I have been asking the town clerk for two things [related to voting]: notification and parking. Notification. I drive through other local towns and see signs stating that there are elections coming up. The only way we know in Plymouth is when the candidates’ signs start going up. Parking. Can you believe it […]

My wife, Therese, and I moved into Pinehills two-plus years ago and are still getting familiar with the community. We didn’t vote because we don’t know any of the candidates.  We don’t know what the candidates stand for and what their positions are on the issues.  An uniformed vote is just as bad as a […]

It amazes me that in America’s oldest town, which for all practical purposes is a city, a pathetically small voter turnout has become the norm, at least insofar as municipal elections are concerned.  Four short centuries ago, ships from England arrived here in Plymouth filled with oppressed persons seeking freedom and dreams of establishing a […]