Commentary

Shame on City Council

Dear Editor,

Shame on those city councilmen who did not uphold the law. When a bid is submitted late, it should not be considered. When a bid is high, it should not win. If you want a “consideration for hometown advantage” then establish it legitimately so others know what they are bidding against and how much value it is to be given. We need to know what the city councilmen are spending our money on and why. What they did was wrong and needs to be corrected.

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Recent issues raise concerns about voting in Kansas and underscore the need for the Legislature to tackle serious election reforms. Several weeks ago, an uproar emerged in Dodge City, a southwest Kansas town of 27,000, that moved its only polling place from the civic center in Dodge City to a site outside of the city. To compound matters, Ford County sent newly registered voters an official certificate of registration that listed the wrong place to cast a ballot in the general election. Dodge City is majority Hispanic, and the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit arguing the polling place decision will make it more difficult for Hispanics with less access to transportation and less flexible work schedules to exercise their right to vote ...

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Duplexes add to community

Dear I-R,

Having been a subscriber for many years, I fully agree that local news is so important. Since I am not local, the paper is my way of keeping track — especially of people and places — from my past.

It takes from two to three weeks for the post office to deliver so am not as current as the “locals.

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John Schlageck
Insight

Economy and wildlife management benefit from sport

During the early days of our country, settlers hunted out of necessity. While farming and trading provided them with a great deal of food, it wasn’t enough for sustenance. To survive, they hunted, fished and trapped wildlife where they lived and worked.

Today, hunting in America offers two major benefits to society: wildlife management and an economic boost.

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Invest in our children

I have lived in the USD 112 School District for the last 10 years. During that time, I have watched our local school produce a doctor, nurses, flight nurse, teachers, welders, and the list goes on.

A quality education has a cost but yields a greater return! By voting “YES” on Nov. 6 for the school bond, we are investing not only in our schools but also in our children.

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Ellsworth City Council should have put brakes on exchange

It was probably only a matter of time before the lack of civility that has infected our federal and state politics paid a visit to Ellsworth. The most recent meeting of the Ellsworth City Council turned ugly fast Oct. 22 when a citizen confronted administrator Scott Moore during a discussion on a city project. Moore suggested the award go to the lowest bidder; the citizen said the council should support those who contribute to the community — a local business in his case.

From there, the exchange turned personal with Moore attempting to defend himself as council members remained silent. It was a situation no employee, especially one who for the most part does his job in public view, should have to suffer.

FROM OUR READERS

It once was as predictable as end-of-October Halloween and Fall Football. Charlie Brown lined up the football, prepared to kick it far, far beyond the goalposts — and then what? You know the story. Lucy betrayed him — again! As she jerked the football away, Charlie’s indomitable, unceasing, heroic effort fell flat, leaving him planted on his posterior, pondering yet again how he could possibly have trusted Lucy, despite an unending history of warning signs.

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FROM OUR READERS

Advancing from my college years into adulthood, with the many usual and sometimes difficult responsibilities, I never was especially politically motivated. Aware of my civic duties, I voted with regularity. Once the votes were counted and the election over, I accepted the results and settled back into my every day experiences. I was resigned to the fact that the voters had chosen a particular candidate and accepted the majority ruling. Even though the elected official may have been from an opposing party, I gladly and respectfully acknowledged the newly elected official.

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Drugs are everywhere

No one in Ellsworth County wants to prosecute to the fullest extent of the law. They give unsupervised probation, have them pay fines, big deal. Someone needs to put the hammer down and send these people to prison. Problem is, their past convictions have all likely been reduced to almost nothing, so, if they keep getting small misdemeanors on their record, they’re never going to suffer the consequences.

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Linda Mowery-Denning
Editor/Publisher

Every so often we receive a letter to the editor that makes so much sense, it’s all we can do not to pick up the phone and yell “great job” at the author. One such letter appears in today’s Independent-Reporter.

“It’s about your community” by Allison Koch of Holyrood should be required reading for all patrons of the Central Plains School District. USD 112 voters go to the polls Nov. 6 to decide the fate of a general obligation bond issue of not more than $8.1 million to pay for improvements at district schools.

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