What a lovely article on today’s front page! (“Why are so few Mainers running for local office?” Nov. 5) Dylan Tusinski is a gifted writer, covering many angles and hitting the nail on the head.

Having retired, I’ve half-heartedly looked into serving civically in my small town, where I’ve happily lived most all my life. I’ve gotten a good education, volunteered and visited abroad, and just might have a few good ideas, even though I have never held an elected seat. Yet, I see the hate, finger-pointing and intolerance that goes with being a local official. Why would I want to go through that? In order to run, I would have to expend my limited resources. I’m not on Facebook or Instagram and don’t like spending hours on the phone. My brother ran for a similar position in a nearby town, won, and had to step down when he was embroiled in some mud-slinging.

It used to be that society revered people who served in municipal capacity, taught school or served the public on the police force. I don’t see much of that anymore. Why? I have several theories. Personally, I believe that it has a great deal to do with the media, starting around 1992. I was volunteering in the Dominican Republic. Friends I’d made there came to me telling how they had seen Rodney King being beaten by L.A.’s Finest on TV. They asked how could this happen in North America. I had no answer. The world is now able to watch most everybody. Oddly, before he died some years later, King’s plea, “Can’t we all just get along?” did not receive the repeated media coverage of the initial horrifying incident.

The following are words from Ann Donaldson, Camden area, 1993. She was a “slow starting, reluctant leader and committed PROJECTS board member.” PROJECTS no longer exists and I’ve been unable to reach Ann.

Here is what she said: “To Everyone: The problem is us. It’s not drugs, guns, or violence in the media. Our people are battered, starving, incarcerated, shot, living in poverty, without education, and without hope. We are greedy, selfish … isolated.

“Our governments may regulate media violence, abortion, guns, drugs, education, criminals. But without strong families and communities, government intervention is useless. To insure a sane future, we need to take the lead ourselves …

“We all see the problems. We are afraid. We don’t know what to do. But we can’t turn our backs any longer. It is time to act, to lead. Take a little step and speak up …”

I was pleased to note that every position on ballot in my small town had at least one candidate to vote for. However, if current attitudes frighten off well-qualified future candidates, we will have substandard local government and all that goes with it. We will of course deserve it, acting like ignorant egotistical hypocrites. I was also pleased at the polling booth to have to wait in line for 10 minutes. That has never happened.

God bless America. May America bless God.

Heidi Chadbourne

Manchester