After too much drama last week, this week returned to normal with a mix of family responsibilities and work. I’m meeting an old buddy for a nice Italian dinner in the Village tomorrow night and then having dinner with family friends on Saturday. As I’m finishing this newsletter, Obama and Harris are rallying on my TV in the next room. 

Local Politics

While I’m not running for local office this year, I am still very involved. I go to town debates and show up at events. I know the issues and individuals in this year’s election. It’s super fun, especially since I’m sitting on the sidelines this year. But apparently, I’m a weirdo. One friend estimated that of the 25,000 town residents, only 250 know what’s going on. 

The demise of local independent press is a tragedy. Active people can get semi-true information on Facebook, but even that’s inaccessible for technophobe older folks. Everybody else is super busy but in the past, the super busy people might have glanced at the headlines in a newspaper. Today, no reporters ever attend our school board meetings or town council meetings. 

Look, this national election is huge. I’m not entirely confident that Harris will win, and that Trump will walk away without a big fight. But there’s something silently corrosive about the decline in local government and the local press. If there’s crap at the top, it’s because there’s crap at the bottom.

Read more at Apt. 11D, the newsletter