Sheri Minor: Running for change in Laconia using both heart and logic

To The Daily Sun,

This election cycle has been educational for me, to say the least. People writing mistruths in letters to the editor having never met me is baffling. I don’t care what side of the political spectrum these people fall under, because this isn’t about me, it’s about the success of the city voters call home.

I’m running for city council to represent Ward 4 because I love this city. I grew up in Laconia and chose to stay and raise my children here because of the quality of life. My family has always appreciated everything Laconia has to offer — the parks, the lake, the community interaction — and we never had to worry about needles on the ground or running into addicts covered in wounds. Back then, if someone was struggling, we’d quietly help with a sandwich or dry socks with compassion.

Looking at today’s Laconia, I see organizations handing out “safe use” drug kits, clothes, tents, blankets, and towels to the unhoused, only to find them discarded across the private and public lands in Laconia. Piles of trash along with other discarded items litter the once-beautiful lands.

Affordable housing — everyone’s favorite words. Yes, we have a shortage of starter homes in our resort community. There are new units being built, and apartments do exist, but they aren’t free. We must break the generational dependency on taxpayer-subsidized living. We need to find those that want a better life and help them move up.

I care deeply about Laconia’s future. I believe in compassion, paired with accountability. We must restore balance and make sure decisions are made with both heart and logic for all citizens of Laconia.

I ask for readers' support on Nov. 4 to bring change to Laconia.

Sheri Minor

Laconia