To the editor:

Our family moved to Pelham four years ago and have found so many things to love about our community—but wow, local politics can get rough around here. I’m not naïve. In fact, I’ve worked on many political campaigns. (I used to work for Republicans. Now, I support Democrats.). I know that politics should stir our passions. Elections matter. They’re about our values and dreams, and sometimes, our fears…

But here, at home, elections are also about our neighbors, and my experience so far is that there’s a whole lot of hot anger between some of us. Maybe it’s just a social media thing (of course it’s a social media thing!), but I suspect if we were to peek behind all of those lawn signs, we might find some real ugly feelings. I’m certainly not preaching. I’ve thrown my fair share of verbal grenades and will continue to do so. But I also wish we could find a healthy distinction between the venom spewed on cable television and the way good neighbors speak to neighbors.

I’m supporting Kristen Burke and Maura Curtin for town council because they’ve been very nice to me and my family. Burke has coached our son’s soccer team. Her kid and my kid are pals. Curtin has made me laugh over glasses of wine. They’re both super-smart and passionate about government. Their husbands seem pretty cool, as far as middle-aged dads like us can ever be cool. I think Burke and Curtin are good people who really care about serving our town—and they have track records to prove it, from PTA to Pelham Together.

Perhaps these are stupid reasons to vote for somebody, but I really don’t think so—especially for a position where the issues are more municipal than ideological.

And on the recent “big issue” of getting a new town ambulance, I understand that the entire council devoted a lot of energy to solving the crisis. Bravo and thanks, town council! But Maura had a unique role in the process. She called her friends in state government, who quickly found $450,000 for the cause. This is awesome. Who doesn’t want friends with friends with an extra $450,000 to toss our way when we really need it?

I’m told the other candidate, Clive Anderson, is a terrific guy. I believe that. Running a funeral home probably requires a real depth of empathy, kindness, and, no doubt, humor. I saw Anderson in the street the other day, shook his hand and wished him well. And I do wish him well—and if he wins, I wish him success. I’m grateful he’s put himself into the messy mix to serve our town. I also learned that Anderson has written checks to Donald Trump and supported the NRA. Now I don’t think Anderson is going to lead an insurrection on Wolfs Lane, but for me, these are facts that disqualify him from my political support—but hopefully, not my friendship.

(Even before Jan 6, 2021, I believed Donald Trump was a unique threat to our country, displaying a cruel hostility to our government, our soldiers and veterans, our allies, our institutions, our values and our people. I prefer candidates who never got down with that mess. I’m happy to chat with folks who disagree with me on this. I’m not happy to vote for them.)

Like many of us, I have plenty of friends who support “the other side”—and like many of us, I struggle to figure out where to draw the line between my beliefs and my relationships. It’s hard for me. But in this case, in this election, I’m happy to vote for Kristen Burke and Maura Curtin because I know them as good, real, kind, hard-working folks. I think Burke and Curtin are good neighbors—and these days, that means an awful lot to me.

Michael Fanuele

616 Francis St.