Letters to the Editor

To the editor,

I received a mailer that I assumed came from the Port of Columbia, addressing questions about the proposed trail between Waitsburg and Dayton. I believe this trail is being billed as an economic boost for both cities.

Why is the flyer telling us about all the bad things that won’t happen? What about the good things that are going to happen? Why is it that these are not addressed?

To date, there has been little talk about the economic benefits the trail will bring to our communities. How many visits will we see per day, week, month, annually? During these visits, how much will be spent with our community? How many night stays in our hotels and motels? How many meals (breakfasts-lunches-dinners)? How much on groceries and in our shops on Main Street? What kind of jobs is this going to provide for our community? Are they going to be living wage jobs? What kind of return investment of our tax dollars?

The flyer states the current maintenance along with volunteer labor and donations. Are volunteers and donations just hopeful, not anticipations? What is the cost if this doesn’t happen? What cost has the Port paid so far?

I believe there are still a lot of unanswered questions.

Wally McCauley

Dayton, Wash.

To the editor,

Just wanted to put our 2 cents in about this “whoo-rah” surrounding Mayor Weatherford’s decision to let 3 City Employees go.

About the time Mayor Weatherford was elected, we wrote a letter to City Council and to the Editor questioning two of these positions and imploring the public to “sit up and take notice” of how our City was being managed. When we appeared before the Council with our questions and concerns, we were met with no answers but a clearly defensive attitude. Along with the Council, the public in attendance were obviously placed to defend and refute rather than explain or resolve. In addition, we were vehemently attacked by a former council member who had moved on and no longer lived in our city or county. It was also brought to our attention that, after our departure, derogatory and demeaning remarks were publicly made by several Council members. After listening to all the questions and comments, the newly elected mayor stated that he “trusted his employees and stood by them.”

Now let’s fast forward to the present time. Our City is in a financial bind and it is very obvious that changes have to be made if we are to become financially stable. It appears to us that Mayor Weatherford has showed exceptional leadership skills. He backed his employees until he had the time to study the situation and then took the action needed to do what was best in the long term for the City. It might appear right now that the dollars going out are beyond our means, but it seems to be the best plan, maybe the only plan, necessary for long-term stability.]

So, kudos to Mayor Weatherford for being strong and doing what is best for our City and shame on the Council member who cannot see and back the long-range benefits of his actions further complicating this difficult but necessary decision.

Chuck and Peggy James

Dayton, Wash.