As a longtime resident of Oakland, I strongly support Anne Hammond for Town Council. Hammond works tirelessly for all taxpayers.

In April, John Ingraham, a Special Forces Vietnam veteran, homeless in Massachusetts with cancer, asked our Town Council not to take all $175,000 from the sale of his Oakland tax-acquired property, when the town’s cost was only $34,000.

Had it not been for the outcry of Oakland citizens, led by Hammond, Ingraham would have lost everything. By a 5-1 vote, the council authorized a $70,000 payment to Ingraham.

Sure, I want fiscal responsibility in Oakland; I want my runaway taxes (which have risen 329 percent in 25 years) under control, but not on the back of a hometown hero. Hammond was instrumental in making sure that didn’t happen.

Gary A. Bennett

Oakland