To the Editor:
I came home to Westborough from Brooklyn a few months ago at the height of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. While I loved New York, stay-at-home orders exposed some of the hardest parts of city-living: over-crowded grocery stores, cramped living quarters, and a dearth of green space. More than anything, I wanted to spend quality time with family and shop in a grocery store that stocked the full line of Cape Cod potato chips.
I grew up in Westborough, attending kindergarten through high school. Coming home was a breath of fresh air in more ways than one. The first thing I noticed upon my arrival in Westborough was simply the way people interacted with one another. Fresh off a decade of living in big cities, I had grown accustomed to being skeptical when someone extended me a kindness. It would momentarily take me aback. The familiarity and civility of small-town life was comforting and I welcomed it. I saw good people that respected and supported their fellow townspeople. I was proud to see peaceful protests in the rotary. I saw neighbors look out for one another. It reminded me of all the reasons I am proud to be from a small town.
Today, our country is living in a new normal. As scary and unpredictable as it is, with high unemployment and civil unrest, let us not forget the values of our small towns: civility, hospitality, and the communities we create when leading with respect and compassion for one another. These are the values I see in Vice President Joe Biden. For that reason, I know he is the best choice to begin to heal our broken nation. I will be voting for Joe Biden on November 3rd and I call on you to as well in the most important election of our time.
Liana Steir
Washington, DC
Westborough resident from 1992-2006
