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To the Editor:

On Saturday evening, I came home to find not only our campaign signs vandalized, but also our “We Stand with Israel” sign thrown to the ground. It was a small act, but it carried a heavy weight. It broke my heart to see this, not because of the damage to property, but because of what it says about the divisions in our community.

Photo courtesy of Alberto Cortes

We are neighbors before anything else. We shop at the same stores, cheer for the same school teams, and share the same sidewalks. While political campaigns naturally invite disagreement, they should never invite hostility. There is no reason for anger or hate to take root in our neighborhoods.

Disagreement is part of democracy. It’s healthy, even necessary. But disagreement expressed through vandalism is not debate, it’s destruction. It silences voices instead of engaging them. And when that happens, we all lose.

I want to be clear: my door is always open. If you have questions, concerns, or simply want to talk, I welcome the conversation. That’s how communities grow stronger – through honest dialogue, not through tearing each other down.

We owe it to one another, and to the next generation, to prove that respect, decency, and neighborly love are stronger than division.

We are better than this. As your neighbor, and as someone asking to serve on Town Council, I want to help bring people together across our differences. That means listening with respect, leading with civility, and making sure our community remains a place where kindness comes first. United, we can set an example of strength, not through division, but through the way we care for one another.

Alberto Cortes
Town Councilor, West Hartford

(Alberto Cortes is a Republican candidate running for re-election to the West Hartford Town Council)

Photo courtesy of Alberto Cortes