Your Opinion: Message to the council; thank you to newspaper

Dear Editor:

Wednesday's article "Conference Center Proposals Near Finish Line" was succinctly summed by Interim City Administrator Drew Hilpert in the last two sentences - "We've got two people on the dance floor. We've got to finally pick one, or send them both home."

That being said, I would like to tell my councilmen to "send them both home."

But, since this is National Newspaper Week, I would also like to personally thank the News Tribune for their continued local commitment to keeping us informed of news and events, entertaining us and generally providing Jefferson City a format few cities of this size can claim as viable, full service, daily newspaper. Reading and discussing the paper over coffee with my wife is a pretty good start to each day.

This paper is very special personally. It provided me a contract to sell papers in 1964; in 1965 it treated me to a Cardinal-Pirates game and lunch for being an outstanding "paper-boy (The Cardinals lost that day at Sportsman Park); it allowed me to work for a minimum wage while attending college gaining valuable experience and an opportunity to meet and associate with many fine friends and work associates.

It put my picture and story in the paper for my hole-in-one in July 1968. It posted my good LU golf scores and even my 92 in the 1971 MIAA Conference tournament.

The News Tribune placed an "above-the-fold" picture and story of me rowing in a boat in the sewage lagoon at Rock Beacon as part of the Gray's Creek project in the mid "70s. The News Tribune did a feature story of my "Golf Digest's" runner-up award for designing a fictitious 18th hole in 1988; in 1999 Mrs. Weldon attended my son's Baptism, quietly sitting at the back of the cathedral. She probably didn't know of her attendance. Finally on a personal note, I thank the paper for at least giving Kansas City teams second billing and finally providing Royal's box scores.

Lastly, I thank the News Tribune for allowing its readers this format to try to persuade others - even if some of the liberals, and fewer conservatives, don't know when to stop beating a dead horse.