A big country is only as good as its small towns. I know because I was brought up in a small town—Ponca City, Oklahoma. Currently its population is 24, 234, about half that of Stratford which is 52,420. I got acquainted with Stratford in 1960 and 1961, as an actor working in the Shakespeare Theatre. About twenty or so years later, with a history spent largely in New York City, my wife and I moved here. I have never regretted it.
I am an actor, and I have worked largely elsewhere, mainly in Washington DC and, now and again, in London, in the UK. But I always, gratefully, came home to Stratford. It’s how I was raised. It’s comfortable, it’s friendly, and—importantly—when Covid 19 hit, I knew I could trust the people of Stratford to take the situation seriously. I felt safe here.
My wife, Rebecca, and I met David Chess early. We didn’t have a doctor, and he was recommended. He was relatively new here, too. It was one of the best choices we ever made.
Especially for my wife, Rebecca, who, as the years went on, needed increasingly good medical care.
David Chess, first, is as good a doctor as I have ever met, which includes—as it has to—how he sees life and how he sees people. We sometimes had tough decisions to make. He was always there.
Tough medical decisions are never just about medicine; they are about life itself. You want a doctor who is on the side of life. That’s David.
He’s not a practicing doctor now, but his interest in and care for life goes on, ever more strongly—and especially his care for education and the next generations coming along. I think it’s clear that the town needs a new government to set our educational system on a new and better path. David’s your man.
Then there is the way he wants us—as a community– to take better care of ourselves and each other. We, the people of Stratford, don’t just occupy the same neighborhood, we share the same world and the same life. That has never been more important than it is now.
This country—this world– is trying to do better with its beautiful diversity, its dreams, needs, and demands. We need good will—the real thing–which begins in our small towns and our individual hearts. David’s your man.
Let’s give him a try. Vote for David Chess in November.
TED VAN GRIETHUYSEN
rroses202@aol.com
