From Steve Wilson comes this letter to the Editor that the Northwest Herald probably won’t publish soon:
I challenge the Mayor to a Debate
I challenge Mayor Haleblian to a debate in this newspaper.
Failure to respond will be definitive proof that he’s wrong.
The Mayor wants Healthbridge to be a “community center”.
Exactly what purposes will a “community center” serve that are worth millions of taxpayer dollars?
This is an issue of cost versus benefit, and no evidence has been presented to prove a “community center” is worth the cost.
The Mayor says Healthbridge can be bought without raising taxes.
All this means is they already raised the taxes in the past.
It’s not free money!
Why do we need a new library when library usage has been in decline for years, and by many measures, is down by more than half?
The existing library is said to need $7.3 million dollars for repairs over the next several years.
But they’re sitting on $8.5 million in cash from taxes they’ve levied and own several properties around the library that they paid $2 million for years ago.
The library is said to be too expensive to maintain.
But they spend only a few hundred thousand dollars a year on maintenance, while a new library will cost at least $2.5 and probably more than $3.0 million a year in new taxes just to pay the debt.
So, Mr. Mayor, will you show evidence sufficient to refute each of my arguments, or will you dissemble by making vague statements that don’t actually refute my arguments, or will you remain silent?
I challenge you.
