A father's lesson on baseball, politics and civility

When I was a little boy I had gone to my Dad and told him how badly I needed a new baseball glove because of the recent poor play I was having. My Dad looked at me for a moment, paused and said to me that the glove did not make the ballplayer, but what made the ballplayer was what came from inside him. The lesson that day was not fully appreciated until I became an adult. What I learned from that lesson was that I am viewed by my peers both personally and professionally by what comes from inside of me, what I say and do, and it has served me well. This past Sunday, my running mate and I put out campaign signs throughout the Town of Monroe. On Monday, as I had the opportunity to drive through town to survey our signs and those of our opponents, I took notice of a series of signs that I had assumed were meant to provoke a question of an incumbent and candidate and his relationship with one of the villages within our town. Immediately, the lesson that I had learned so many years ago came back to me as I believe that the author of those signs was compelled to write what he believed, as distasteful as I found it to be. What I took from these signs is that what’s inside of us dictates our actions and determines who we are as human beings and Americans. When I decided to run for Town Council, I did so because I believed a change was necessary and exercised my right to express that change. I would participate and engage the residents of Monroe in a positive manner, one that would better reflect the spirit of this campaign and the pride that I feel to be able to participate as a candidate. If you believe that this candidate has not served the Town of Monroe as he was elected to do, then go to the polls on Nov. 8 and vote him out. That is the right given to you as an American citizen. Do not disparage. It is just simply divisive and will not allow us to grow and move forward here in Monroe in the town that so many of us love. Involve yourself in the process and make informed decisions - it’s the American way. Neil S. Dwyer Monroe P.S. I never did get the glove, but got much, much more.