Dear Editor:

One side effect of political saber rattling — it polarizes candidates to the edges of party doctrine, creating misconceptions that Democrats don’t care about money and Republicans don’t care about people. Neither is true.

This leaves the voter to see past all the flaming infighting and look to issues they support, breadth of knowledge, ability to bring decisions through the crazy process of making laws, and frankly, whether they are good, likable people.

From this deeper dive is where my support blossoms for Will Neilson for Maine State Representative of District 53 (Arrowsic, Dresden, Georgetown, Phippsburg and Woolwich). He has the heart of a Democrat, and a sense of financial responsibility that rivals the supposedly Republican-owned side of good money management. And he’s a good guy — just spend a few minutes with him.

Will earned his stripes in the best way possible — starting a small business in Maine, the Solo Bistro Restaurant in Bath. According to the website http://perrygroup.com, 70 percent of restaurants fail by year five. As a testament to Will’s management and financial prowess, Solo Bistro is still captivating locals and tourists with music and delightful food for 12 years now.

Business people often run aground moving from private to public because leadership needs to move from dictates to collaboration. Will’s experience chairing the Arrowsic Planning Board and the Economic Restructuring Committee in Bath shows he understands collaboration across diverse opinions, and can get things done.

As a board member of an affordable housing nonprofit, I especially appreciate Will’s position on this issue. He understands that affordable housing is both a human right, and a smart investment. Maine people should never have to go without a roof over the head, and it benefits everyone when the workers who fuel our economy can afford to live here.

Gren Blackall,

Bank Strategic and Marketing Consultant and Board Treasurer of Avesta Housing

Woolwich (District 53)