Your Opinion: Let's join together to move forward

Dear Editor:

To opponents of Transformation - congratulations on sending your message that the Transformation sales tax was not what you had in mind for progress. I was a supporter of Transformation because I think the community needs to be focused on our immediate need of jobs and evolution to stay competitive adding jobs in a rapidly changing world.

I understand your message that it is a tough time to tax given all the issues we are dealing with today. I liked that the initiative was a local tax that just affected our community and not just money getting sent to the wasteland in Washington. You made it clear that was still not okay.

I am proud that amidst all your allegations of secret deals and lining the pockets of the wealthy, that the Chamber of Commerce helped organize a community initiative to work with the city staff, the residents, and the business community to try and address a problem. This community group spent thousands of hours listening to anyone that would take the time to help us address what we believe could be a growing problem.

Once we had what we felt was a good plan it was brought to the voters to decide. No secrets, no back doors, just go to the polls and tell us with your vote. You answered this question and your answer was no.

Now that you have exercised your power to kill this plan, will you exercise your power to help build a plan that you can live with? Do you see a need for any change or is the current Jefferson City your utopian society that other communities should model themselves after now and into the future? I would guess that there are some things we could agree upon, even though we did not agree with the first plan.

I would like to be the first to humbly and objectively offer up my help to move what your vision of Jefferson City's future should be. I am willing to openly volunteer again to help you develop a plan that you think is a better fit. I will commit as much energy and time to your ideas and concepts of what it takes to drive our economy if you will respect my time and ideas.

I have no agenda other than to help. I would like to talk today more about what we agree upon than what we disagree upon. Hatchet is officially buried on my side. Let me know where to sign up.