Dear Editor:
Once again special interest proposals have crashed and burned courtesy of the people of Cole County. Zoning and transportation tax defeats demonstrate that voters know a special interest proposal when they see it. The two proposals join Transformation Tax, mega school tax, fireman's tax and others as proposals by out of touch public officials more interested in serving special interests than the people. The News Tribune is also out of touch but nobody notices.
Proponents used underhanded half-truths and devious strategy like an August vote and including city voters and still lost. The only special interest proposal to succeed is giving property tax money and a one percent sales tax to owners of the Capital Mall. It used the out-of-touch City Council and TIF commission chaired by the county presiding commissioner to bypass a vote of the people.
After the election the spokesman for zoning wanted to imply that zoning was not very important. Somebody wanted it enough to spend a lot on money on radio ads, newspaper ads, and expensive telephone calls. Zoning started as a strip joint proposal. When that fell short it changed to protecting private property. Transformation went from high paying jobs to opportunity.
Both spent a lot on money the last 10 days before the election. Transformation spent $80,000. Zoning will show a lot of money spent unless they can hide it. It sure looks like the same special interest. We know that the presiding commissioner was active in both campaigns. Individuals concerned about the future spent about $1,000 in opposition both times. Will the politicians ever learn?
The only way to prevent such shenanigans is to elect people who want to serve the people rather than the special interest.
Citizens need people who are dedicated to honesty and morals and not willing to use any strategy to force feed their special interest proposals down our throat. Current office holders may present themselves as moral leaders but use their position to try to take advantage of the people.
Zoning should be the major issue in the next election for county commissioners. The county public service director Larry Benz and the vice chairman of the Cole County Planning Committee Dick Peerson should resign. The election results demonstrate they are out of step with the people.