Shirley Jackson wrote “The Lottery,” a classic short story which used to be read by every high school student.
In this story folks in a small town experience a “lottery” each year in which one person is selected to be stoned to death by all other townspeople. The final arguments against one another are instructive, and an analogy for small-town actions.
How will Hadley townspeople deal with funding both a new library and a new senior center? Let us hope that Hadley residents will be more magnanimous than those folks in Jackson’s story. We are not going to stone one another.
We will recognize the benefits and opportunities of a new library and a new senior center. We will not stone one another to advance one singular purpose. A new library (at half the price through a state grant) and a new senior center benefit all residents.
Let’s support these resident-funded, resident-received benefits. Please come to the special Town Meeting on Aug. 29.
Stewart Clark
Hadley