BY PATRICIA FISHER
White Rock
I am writing in response to Mr. Summer, who recently disparaged our county for supposedly not doing enough to help his young family, claiming the county prioritizes seniors as he prepares to move away. (https://losalamosreporter.com/2026/06/14/lte-dwindling-community/) While I understand the frustration of navigating costs for a young family, his claim that our “world-class senior center” comes at his family’s expense shows a heartbreaking lack of perspective. More importantly, the senior center’s renovation was approved by county citizens. If he stepped foot inside the center, he would understand the dire necessity of the project.
The elderly population he dismisses is the very generation that built this town on their backs. They worked under unsafe conditions, lived through intense political turmoil, and built a community with little to no outside resources. To suggest they are being handed luxuries is entirely out of touch. Consider the facts: the county provides the senior center with a flat seven-year contract totaling just $564,000 per year. That flat amount is incredibly low, forcing them to absorb years of rising operational costs. They are at the end of that rope, actively fundraising and asking for donations from non-profits, the community, and our members. In fact, the members donate hundreds of thousands of dollars of their own money just to keep the center running. Did he know that?
The libraries, the Olympic pool, the parks, the trails, the schools, and the infrastructure serving new developments were all paid for by our older population. They did without luxury cars, cell phones, and expansive kitchens—anyone who has ever stepped inside a local home can attest to that.
As for housing costs? Tell that to federal workers in D.C. who live 25 miles outside the city and face an average 75-minute commute each way. Choosing a career path always involves trade-offs: working two jobs, a roommate, a smaller home, or living farther away. Los Alamos is not unique, nor is it under an obligation to provide free recreation centers and affordable housing for everyone who accepts a job here. The only housing assistance the county should reasonably consider is targeted tax subsidies for our frontline workers: our police, firefighters, teachers, and healthcare professionals.
The next time you take your child to the library, school, park, church, or the Olympic-sized pool, recognize that the only reason you can do so is that our elders paid taxes for over fifty years to build those amenities.
Instead of complaining, look around at what you do have. This community supports families unlike anywhere else I have lived—offering a dedicated teen center, pumpkins, kites, summer concerts, and a top public high school for free.
Stop whining. Enjoy what the generation before you built and honor them. Stop by the senior center and meet the people who created this town. Listen to the stories of the early days, of carrying security IDs for babies, and managing waste disposal at the cost of their safety. There is an incredible amount to learn from our elders, but first, you must show respect. They earned their place here, and they deserve our highest gratitude. Finally, the seniors are NOT responsible for the medical center.
Letters to the editor represent the opinions of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or editorial stance of the Los Alamos Reporter. The Reporter assumes no responsibility or liability for the factual accuracy of statements made by contributors.