The late Clipper publisher David Cutler was a great believer in merit. When he founded Mariner Newspapers in 1972 he had no idea how to run a business. He had been a leader on the athletic field and the battlefield, but he had to grow into this role. Accordingly, he always gave his employees opportunity to advance, provided only they had the right work ethic.

A few years ago the Duxbury Interfaith Council added Earth Day to its events calendar, but finding a way to honor Earth Day that wouldn’t compete with other popular events in town or holy days has been a challenge.  That is until this year.   

When Council members Carol Langford and Liz Polvinen decided to pursue the idea of donating a tree to the town, they had no idea how well received it would be.

My comments are in rebuttal to the article published in the Duxbury Clipper regarding conditions at 59 Chestnut Street in Duxbury.  The article was and still is very upsetting to me.

Last week the 4th of July Activities Committee sent out a letter describing the fun-filled activities that are taking place during the town’s annual 4th of July celebration. That letter included a form for residents to make a donation to the Margery Parcher Fund to help finance the 4th of July festivities. Parade bands, clowns, regiments and other professional performers, as well as staging, lighting, dumpsters, and police and fire details for the beach party, cost more than $40,000. Town meeting generously appropriates $10,000 for the parade, however, that obviously covers only a fraction of the costs, and the committee must fundraise to make up the difference.

The Duxbury Interfaith Council’s Annual Fund Raising drive for its Campership and TLC Backpack Projects is now underway.  $34,000 is needed to send approximately 50 children to summer camp and also provide backpacks and school supplies for approximately 90 children.  Your donations are needed to help us reach our goal.  Additionally, Weimeyer Dentistry is our first corporate sponsor, donating $15 for each cleaning during the month of May.  They hope to raise $5000 for our cause.

Thank you to all who participated in the second annual Duxbury Litter Sweep.  Despite the raw and misty weather, the project turned out to be quite successful.  The total bags of litter collected from Duxbury streets and open spaces were one hundred forty, fifty-five more bags than last year.

I would like to let folks know that the respite program at the Duxbury Senior Center is a well-planned and caring environment in which to have a loved one spend the day. The program is available on Tuesdays and Thursdays with activities suited for those with Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of memory loss. It is run by Caren Harrison, director and Lucille Brogna, assistant, with trained volunteers assisting them. It has been my pleasure to volunteer in this program.

In response to a recent article in The Clipper regarding discord among the tenants at Duxborrough Village (59 Chestnut St.), I would like to clarify some issues. First, we are not “poor people” – we live here by choice, not because we were forced to come here.

Capitalism is, in a sense, a double-edged blade. Around eight million jobs were lost during this recession. The offshoring of jobs increased substantially in 2005, prior to the collapse of the housing bubble. After taking inflation into consideration, minimum wage is actually 25 percent lower than it was in 1968.

To 40B or Not To 40B? The answer is no.

Whether it is South Street or Washington Street, this quaint little town by the sea does not offer the available land in many areas to accommodate 40B housing units for many reasons. When it comes to the proposed 40B project on South Street, the poor economy, increased taxes due to several major renovation projects in town, and the cost of maintaining a property it’s already a challenge for most of us as we struggle to maintain the value of the property we own, never mind assure a return on our investment.

(Editor’s note: Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans’ Services Coleman Nee gave this speech before presenting the Medal of Liberty to the Steele family on Saturday.)

Thank you to the Knights of Columbus and to the Disabled American Veterans for inviting me to Duxbury today to present the Medal of Liberty to 1st Lt. Timothy Steele’s family.

I don’t want to go to a restaurant where I have to wait in some lollygagging line in pinchy shoes and pastel dress, all for limp sausage links and dried out pancakes curling at the edges.

I found the article from the Duxbury Canine Committee in the May 2 issue of the Duxbury Clipper very encouraging.  I am pleased they are looking into this growing problem in Duxbury.

The Duxbury Make-A-Wish Gala Chairs recently attended the 25th Anniversary Make-A-Wish Foundation of Massachusetts and Rhode Island Gala. Charlotte Beattie, CEO, recognized the Duxbury Gala’s contribution as the cornerstone of the chapters early years.

If you’ve seen his story, “Unguarded,” on ESPN, then you have a sense of the life Chris Herren chose for himself for 14 years and it wasn’t glamorous.  The documentary depicted a tremendously gifted athlete with every opportunity for a fulfilling, successful future who got sidelined by addiction.

One politician running against the flow in 2006 was Deval Patrick, running for governor against a sitting attorney general, Tom Reilly, and a sitting lieutenant governor, Kerry Healey. By merely saying he would consider 130 400-foot wind turbines in Nantucket Sound, 4.8 miles off Mashpee, he stood out from nearly every other politician in the state.

Each week brings more troubling questions about the conduct of Duxbury’s legal affairs with, as yet, no satisfactory answers. Meanwhile, the number of lawyers the Town must pay for is growing, most recently with the decision by the Board of Selectmen last Monday to add the Cambridge, Massachusetts firm of Anderson & Kreiger to Duxbury’s ballooning special town counsel roster.

If your spring cleaning went like mine, you’re probably due for a break. Saturday, April 28 at the Performing Arts Center in the School and Library Complex off St. George Street, the Snug Harbor Community Chorus will perform their spring concert. The show starts at 7:30 p.m., and tickets are $20 for regular admission, or $12 for students and seniors. Groups of ten or more can pay $10 per person. Advanced sales are encouraged, since the concert is well-attended, and to help plan for the show’s reception. The reception is included in the ticket price. Buy your tickets at Westwinds Bookshop or The Studio, both at the Market Place at Hall’s Corner.

The lead article headlined “Special Report: Turf Wars” in last week’s (April 18) issue of this newspaper makes dismal reading for any concerned citizen, voter, and taxpayer of the Town of Duxbury. It is bad enough that we face staggering increases in our real estate taxes over the next few years from a $135 million plus spending spree on major capital projects in the midst of the worst U. S. economic decline since the Great Depression of the 1930s. It is even worse, however, that we must also certainly pay substantial legal fees to defend against lawsuits that could wind up requiring us to pay even more, potentially much more, should the Town of Duxbury lose them.

The Duxbury Senior Center affords many opportunities for fellowship. One of the more unique has occurred every Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. for several years. It lasts a little over an hour and it’s free. I’m referring to a free wheeling and unstructured discussion of current events.

This offering is open to both men and women every Tuesday morning at no cost. The only requisites for participation are an open mind and a willingness to share your opinions. There is no intent to seek an agreement, only an understanding of issues. If you change your opinion, that’s up to you.