Christy Cunningham

To the editor,

Tomorrow's election offers Laconia voters a real choice, with distinctive differences between the two groups of allied candidates running for mayor and city council.

On the one side is a slate of people who offer only a message of negativity — that the city and its people are not capable of facing the challenges ahead.

Their mantra is the "tax cap," foolishly believing that starving government of revenue is a panacea for our community's ills. We've seen how effectively that's worked on the national level.

The other candidates offer a positive vision of the city's future and a commitment to finding affordable solutions to its problems. They're not trying to scare anyone into believing everyone's about to lose their homes or be forced into bankruptcy. But they have offered a thoughtful warning that to deprive the city and schools of revenue will have a long-term impact on the livability of Laconia.

Matt Lahey, Brad Fitzgerald, Bob Luther, Henry Lipman, Brenda Baer, Dianne Roberts and Joe Cormier are offering our community a promise of a better future, for ourselves and our children. They realize there are financial limits, but they also recognize how critical it is that we invest in our roads and parks, in our emergency services and schools, if Laconia is to meet its future potential.

What I see as the primary difference between the two sides is that the group aligned with Niel Young believes Laconia's best years are behind it and we should hunker down and try to preserve as much of the past as possible.

Matt Lahey and those allied with progress are convinced that Laconia's future will be even brighter than its luminous and storied history — that with careful planning and thoughtful investing the City of the Lakes will continue to outshine its neighbors.

I don't deny that some people are finding it difficult, if not impossible, to pay their tax bills, and no one wants to see a neighbor lose their house because of taxes. Thankfully, there are in place policies that can prevent that from happening.

As we move forward as a community, let's look at what we can do, both for those currently in need and for future generations. That's the kind of community in which I, and most everyone I know, prefers to live.

Vote tomorrow for Matt Lahey, Brad Fitzgerald, Bob Luther, Henry Lipman, Brenda Baer, Dianne Roberts, and Joe Cormier — for a community that works together for everyone's benefit.

Christy Cunningham

Laconia