Your View

YourArlington's policy about letters to the editor

UPDATED Aug. 13: YourArlington welcomes opinions of all kinds from local residents, including national issues so long as you can draw a local connection. For example, the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in June on Roe v Wade must have echoes here, too. Letters are reviewed for fairness, factualness and taste.

This site welcomes letters about any issue that stirs the public mind. Longer opinion pieces are also welcome.

NOTE: When emailing a letter to The Advocate & Star, consider copying YourArlington at the same time. Your opinions will be published sooner.

Please support your view with facts and arguments that attempt to adhere to reason.

You may write on any subject, so long as you try to make a connection to Arlington. If you can't do that, then your residence in town will be a sufficient connection.

This letter was written by Guillermo S. Hamlin, a Precinct 14 Town Meeting member who works at Tufts Technology Services and previously ran for the town Board of Assessors in '21.

Did you know that Massachusetts ranks 46th in the country on government transparency? Read that back again and sit with that realization. Is that really what we’re willing to pay for?

Seriously, the State House regularly fails to report back to its taxpayers, and that’s most of the time. This is unacceptable, we need to improve access to public records and promote a more transparent Massachusetts. We’re the only state where the governor, the Legislature and the Judiciary may claim -- and have -- full exemptions from our public records laws. Instead of fawning over these elected officials as they ritualistically preserve this travesty, we ought to shift the floor beneath them with a strong, talented attorney general whose proven record compels them forward in regular transparency. That’s why I’m voting for Quentin Palfrey, and here’s why.

This letter was written by Howard Winkler, a former Arlington resident who lives in Lexington:

Click image to access >>

After living in and being active in Arlington for 54 years, I moved to a retirement community in Lexington. I now sleep in Lexington, but my heart is in Arlington.

It was sad when the Advocate shut down [merged], as it connected our citizens, and recorded the life of our community. Now, it would appear that our citizens are in the dark when it comes to knowing what the various elected and appointed committees are doing. 

I recommend the following. Go to: 

• YourArlington or
• The Town of Arlington website