Look around you! The Oxford County towns need our help and a casino might be the answer.

We should not dismiss, out-of-hand, any attempt to help our region meet full potential.

If you’re new to the area, or if you have lived here for a few years, you would be amazed to learn what the Rumford area was like in the 1950s and 1960s.

For many years, Rumford was known for “the smell” that is largely gone now. However, there is still an odor but it has nothing to do with the paper mill. It’s the attitude of those in authority, those that want to manage every element of our individual lives, which stinks now.

Lately, many see Rumford as the town where people simply can’t get along.

It’s up to us; voters have a chance to improve things. Let’s make sure we give the casino proposal the kind of consideration that’s deserved.

Don’t be fooled; strong, acrimonious words and hollow, meaningless statements are usually an indication of a weak case. The opponents have employed misdirection, misstatements and even overt dishonesty.

It may not be perfect but if we waited until a proposal is “perfect” we would never accomplish anything. The requestors, our fellow Mainers, are asking for our approval to move forward. The risk of failure is wholly theirs.

A healthy economy benefits us all, even the government. The governor and the Legislature are not in charge.

We are.

Ted Hotham, Rumford