To the editor:

I want to thank Susan Sweet for her thoughtful letter ("Senior citizen supports rec. center," April 23, 2025, Daily News of Newburyport). As a senior myself, I felt seen in her words—not as someone to be dismissed or spoken for, but as a person with agency and a deep investment in our city's future.

I live in Ward 5 with my daughter, her husband, and my grandchildren. Like Susan, I am on a fixed income. And like her, I looked carefully at the actual cost of the proposed recreation center. I have already voted yes by mail and with confidence.

What disappoints me is when elected officials presume that older residents like me are opposed to this project or suggest that our voices count differently based on whether we rent or own. That mindset does not reflect the values of the community I know and love.

I spent my career as a social worker helping individuals and families find the resources they needed to thrive. That work taught me that investments in families, especially children, strengthen everyone. This recreation center is one of those investments.

We deserve leaders who listen to the full range of voices in their wards and who reflect the true diversity of the people they serve. I may not hold the deed to the house I live in, but I am a constituent, a voter, and a proud resident of Ward 5. I proudly support this project.

SYLVIA MEDINA

Newburyport