To the Editor:

Many in the community mental-health system were hopeful about our new administration in Ohio, watching a governor with a background in psychology and the penal system. Now, however, the hopefulness having moved to cautiousness is pretty near complete exhaustion. Understand this sentiment comes with all due respect to being handed a huge deficit on top of the multitudinous challenges of the past couple years.

To the Editor:

I’m writing in response to Wesley Thompson’s letter published in the Oct. 29 edition. There was a shocking amount of misinformation in the letter, and I couldn’t simply stand by and let it go without a rebuttal. The letter mentions thimerosal, a preservative used in some of the H1N1 vaccines. Newsweek in February printed a great article on thimerosal and how it was believed to be linked with autism, I highly suggest looking it up on their Web site. It is called “Anatomy of a Scare” by Sharon Begley.

To the Editor:

Christine Fahl is the clear choice to elect back to City Council’s Fourth Ward tomorrow.

Ms. Fahl supports the city’s acquisition of 600 acres of land along Armitage Road. This would be our back-up system and new water source. This would be our back-up system to ruined well-fields where we now get some of our water. We need this because of the ruination of some of the current well-fields due to development, parking lots and other uses that threaten to poison our water.

To the Editor:

I am adding my voice to others who have written against the passage of Issue 2 (Livestock Regulation). I hope that readers will do their homework and find out why a NO vote is the right vote.

To the Editor:

I’m really tired of proponents for the potential NCR retirement facility attacking their opponents as short-sighted NIMBYs. I think a retirement facility is a great idea for Athens, but I think the space chosen for it was wrong. People of all ages and backgrounds love that green space! It is a rare, extremely inclement day indeed when that field is empty; it seems there is always at least one person playing fetch with his or her dog or flying model airplanes, if there isn’t a game on or a flock of kites. Not everybody is as lucky as my family, with open spaces of our own, so I understand why that Stimson Avenue field is so important, with convenient parking and few power lines overhead.

To the Editor:

The Athens City Commission on Disabilities is an agency of city government whose commitment is to provide a means for the concerns of people with disabilities to be heard and to serve as an advocate for such individuals. This commission works within its bylaws and in accordance with City Ordinance 0-07-04.

To the Editor:

From my view, as a person who lives beyond the city limits of Athens but, like many others who have lived in the county for many years, consider Athens my home town, there is much at stake when it comes to the direction that City Council takes in dealing with balancing business and aesthetic aspects of development, providing needed infrastructure and safety services to all citizens, improving the economic quality of life for community, protecting the historic downtown and preserving the uniqueness of neighborhoods, while valuing and maintaining a sense-of-place that fosters community pride. 

To the Editor:

I’m writing to correct a couple of misconceptions that have surfaced in the last few days about my stand on certain issues.

At the recent debate at the Athens Public Library, when we were both asked a direct question about what programs we might cut if budget reductions were necessary, I responded honestly, stating that lower priority programs such as ARTS/West might have to be cut (I didn’t say eliminated) after we properly fund those items which I believe should be the city’s top priorities (police, fire, streets). I’ve also said that city leaders should reverse the current perception that Athens is hostile to new development, so those looking to invest might choose Athens. The resulting business and payroll tax revenue might eliminate the problem, allowing full funding for both essential services and vibrant arts and recreation programs.

To the Editor:

Keeping a city running takes a lot of dedicated people. Chris Fahl has been one of those people since she came to Athens eight years ago. From the Near Eastside Neighborhood Association to the Comprehensive Plan Advisory Committee and City Council, Chris has served the city with countless hours of research, cooperative strategy work and planning.

To the Editor:

My husband and I recently moved back to Athens because our grandchildren live here. I attended the candidate forum between Democrat Christine Fahl and Republican Randy Morris. I was especially interested in hearing each candidate’s ideas for walking and bike safety, recreation, livability and quality of life. For the sake of our grandchildren, I certainly hope Athens elects Christine Fahl.