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Saints!

Friday
March 29th, 2024
L&T Opinions Page

LETTER TO THE EDITOR, Starley Craig, Liberal

 

In the opinion column Feb. 9, it is suggested we, as a town, should “move on” from the Mark Hall debacle as if it had never happened and that we learned nothing from it. Citizens who want to be tuned in, kept in the loop, about actions considered or taken by our elected officials have basically one source of information — our newspaper.

Someone in city government knew way before Walmart put in its satellite store that the whole thing stunk to high heaven. Commissioners are told out the door about the rulings concerning funds connected with the airport as sacrosanct. They knew. The paper knew. Nobody said a word, and that was the time. Hall apparently had a tacit green light to do what he did. Joe Denoyer tried to secure a fine future for him and a golden parachute as well.

Our paper wants us to forget, forgive and “move forward,” in spite of the fact that forward might be a step off the cliff. Let’s list a few things that have cost us our future and might be responsible for the exodus of many of our citizens. For instance, the paper pushed for $120 million for many new schools in a town whose student population drops every year.

Every paper lists more expenses, such as unreturned, stolen or lost Chromebooks, new artificial turf for the football field, $30k for new savings for Pre-K if they move, etc.

I remember when our commissioners voted to replace all the signage we already had for Liberal with a brand new logo sold to them by the kin of the manufacturer at a cost of $375,000. We were to be so proud of the signs we would forget about our terrible roads and poor infrastructure. When it isn’t your money, you can spend it like crazy — no one remembers and our paper doesn’t remind us.

$30 million for Trailmobile. A promise from Joe Denoyer to “help Katrina victims” by inviting them to stay here in the abandoned Trailmobile building. He said he called every other commissioner and gotten support and permission. No he didn’t. The paper should have hit that hard. Instead, he gets to be mayor and the lies just pile up.

Read Earl Watt’s editorials. They are excellent, even when they are supportive of what I think is a terrible idea. But ignore the advice to “move on,” because that’s what you say to vagrants you don’t want in town.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR, Reita Isaacs, Liberal

 

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