Wrong to remove Leonard’s column
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Editor, Suffolk News Herald:
You recently published a Letter to the Editor from a relative newcomer to Suffolk, who approved of your removal of Roger Leonard’s column from the Opinion Page&uot;.
Personally, I believe you made the wrong decision.
We need people like Roger Leonard to keep watch over our City Council and to report on their activities.
He does a job that most of us are not willing to do, which is to attend boring council meetings and report on their shenanigans.
For example, Roger Leonard has opposed the exorbitant real estate tax increases caused by increased assessments on property.
This policy allows City Council to spend increasing amounts of the taxpayer’s money without having to vote for a tax rate increase on property.
This adversely affects all taxpayers in the City.
My recommendation to you, Mr. Editor, is to resume printing Roger Leonard’s column.
I further suggest that you have your reporters investigate why it has taken City Council so long to approve Roger Leonard’s request for expansion of his business at the airport.
As a final comment, I suggest that concerned taxpayers vote for Jerry Kilgore for governor this November.
Mr. Kilgore has pledged to support a cap on real estate taxes resulting from increased evaluations on property.
His plan would allow City Council members to increase taxes above the cap only if they voted for a tax increase on real estate.
This is one of the ways to reign in the extravagancies of our City Council.
Eugene Sankey
Suffolk