Letters: Longmont open space tax; voting for us; ranked choice voting; Donald Trump; Kamala Harrris; Jillaire McMillan

The small price of beauty and connection

Two out of three headlines on Friday's front page were filled with difficult news: Hurricane Milton's devastation and looming cuts to social services funding in Boulder County. It's crucial, of course, that we stay informed about challenges facing our communities so we can come together to solve them. But I was heartened to see a bit of balance amidst these serious stories — a set of photos captioned "On Golden Ponds."

These three photos captured a brown cormorant in graceful flight, a couple of neighbors collecting seeds at the nature area, and an almost abstract scene of runners reflected in calm waters. My thanks to Cliff Grassmick for these photos! They reminded me that, even with real challenges, Longmont, Colorado, remains a place of beauty and connection.

Golden Ponds is one of the open spaces supported by Longmont's open space sales tax — just two-tenths of a cent on each dollar, or two cents on every $10. Since Longmont residents first approved this tax in 2000, we've protected and maintained some amazing natural areas. If you've visited Golden Ponds, you've likely enjoyed sightings of bald eagles, blue herons, kingfishers and other wildlife that make their homes there. And it's not just the birds; every day, you'll see families enjoying picnics, friends out for a walk and neighbors fishing while soaking up the spectacular view of Longs Peak.

With your ballot now in the mail, I hope you'll consider voting yes on Issue 3A, which will make our local open space tax permanent. By doing so, we can ensure that these cherished spaces continue to enrich our lives and provide a sanctuary in both good times and challenging ones.

Thank you for considering this important vote for our community!

Nadeen Lester, Longmont

Let's all win together

Lincoln spoke of the "better angels of our nature." General Eisenhower reportedly told us we get "the government we deserve." We deserve our best. In an upset world of worry and woe we fear falling out of step with our "proper" place among nations. Many think maybe our best days are behind us, that the "condition of things" has been disturbed. Feeling left out, some retreat into their own world of indolence and myth. There may be a source of our (perceived) economic concerns.

In this political season, I recall that I have voted for candidates and against a few. I think it is high time I voted for all of us, especially the children and grandchildren. In this case no one is my "enemy" except the one in my mirror. To become and remain the best I can be means I must choose leaders who have the best interests of us all uppermost and will act not to vindicate but to advocate. No one can push through every promise made while campaigning, but one can do a lot of harm with appointments and illegitimate orders. Immigrants won the Civil War; their great-grandchildren won World War II. Let's all win now, together.

Greg Iwan, Longmont

Vote for ranked choice voting

Way down the ballot this year is Proposition 131, ranked choice voting. The proposition also endorses an open primary election with both Republican and Democratic candidates on one ballot, helping to avoid the dance of courting of the far-right or far-left voters in primaries, only for the primary winners to turn face and try to appear moderate in the general election.

RCV is an increasingly popular way to count your vote, as it may better represent your preferences and may encourage political moderation in our elected candidates. With it you can vote for third party candidates without "throwing your vote away." It sounds like a radical change, but Alaska uses ranked choice voting. Maine has it, too. And New York City and over three dozen other cities. Cambridge, Mass., has had it since the 1940s; San Francisco, for over 20 years.

The Washington Post endorses RCV: "There is no one trick to fix American democracy — but implementing ranked-choice voting in primary and general elections around the country could help. ... The system has myriad advantages. Voters can vote for their preferred candidate, without worrying as much about wasting their vote or the 'spoiler' effect they could have on others in the race. ... Candidates must attract people's second- and third-place votes, giving them strong incentive to make broad-based appeals."

An NPR explains theoretic risks and benefits: .

But most telling is how the system spreads locally once a city tries it, suggesting it works well. "It tends to start around one or two cities and then a lot of other cities in that region opt in," according to Deb Otis of fairvote.org .

Vote for ranked choice voting and take a wee bit of control back from the political parties.

Rick Jacobi, Longmont

Open space tax need not be perpetual

While I enjoy making use of Longmont's open space amenities such as McIntosh Lake, we must be careful not to view open space as the Holy Grail of all things in the same way as our local environmentalists.

A political ad in the TC for the Longmont sales tax extension made the point, "If the tax expires (in 2034), funding for Open space will have to compete with other priorities." Good! This is precisely the reason to vote against Ballot Issue 3A.

In the uncertain economy of the mid-2030s, there may be far higher priorities for city funding of infrastructure such as water, power and transportation.

Perpetual open space funding might seem nice to have, but it is not such a need to warrant passage by voters at this time.

We should also keep in mind that Longmonters carry a heavy open space sales tax burden from Boulder County. Since none of these sales taxes were put in by county voters to be perpetual, neither should Longmont's 0.20% open space sales tax.

Dave Larison, Longmont

Why vote for Trump

This is in response to all those who blather on about how stupid people are to vote for Trump: If you are at all interested in why Independents and some Democrats are feeling inclined to vote for him, just google "Bill Ackman" and "33 reasons."

As an Independent, I am not saying I agree with all his points, but most have a high level of credibility based on what we have seen from the ongoing disaster of the Biden-Harris reign.

Larry Smith, Longmont

Harris is the only sane choice

Nowhere in our lifetime (and I would wager, in our entire history) has the truth been so battered and tarnished politically. Even the 787 million reasons (Dominion settlement) FOX News has to halt the lying doesn't dissuade them from promoting these continuous falsehoods, nor do the Trump fraud, sexual assault and felony convictions lessen his support.

No man is above the law, and lying is not protected speech. Does this equate to the poor Southerner who owned no slaves who fought in the Civil War, yet fought blindly to defend an institution that only benefited the rich slave owners? Nov. 5 cannot come soon enough — Evans, Boebert — are you kidding me? While policies can be argued and debated, this race has one defining issue: character or the lack thereof. If that's the case, Kamala Harris is the only sane choice.

Greg Tafel, Longmont

Vote for Jillaire McMillan

Our country cannot afford to deal with anymore Stone Age politicians like Dan Woog. Jillaire McMillan will make a great addition to our Colorado democracy, because she is an advocate for public education, reproductive rights, affordable healthcare, gun violence prevention, public transportation and affordable housing.

She believes in increasing salaries for teachers, investing in mental health programs and providing new tech equipment.

Republicans like Dan Woog spittle about "school choice" as an excuse to defund public schools and instigate Christian indoctrination.

We need politicians like Jillaire McMillan, who will roll up their sleeves and finally get the work done!

Katrina Stroud, Boulder

Election letters and guest opinions

Letters regarding candidates are limited to a maximum of 200 words. Guest opinions regarding candidates are limited to 500-700 words. A guest opinion writer may support a candidate and make arguments regarding issues, but we will not publish a guest opinion that is primarily an attack on a candidate.