I would like to submit for your “Letter to the Editor” page, the following comments.

Thanks for the opportunity to speak to my fellow citizens…

As a citizen who has made many comments in the past about how our fine community is being run and administered, I feel compelled to comment about the up coming City Council election.

This year is perhaps the watershed date that will lead us in a significant new direction in how our community is being run and administered.

While one must admit that there has been and are good things being done in our community, one must also pose the question; How much of this really has to do with our present City Council, or perhaps was done is spite of our present City Council and administration?

Believe it or not; the sun does rise without direction of our City Manager and the national economy does function without the approval of our fine Director of Finance…

Further, while we live in a wonderful community, is it really being run in a fair and equitable manner for all when we can’t even get an answer from our present council members running for re-election this year, on where they believe the real estate tax rate should go after historically high assessment growth?

One must ponder the fact that there is if nothing else, a public perception that some on City Council are too well connected to downtown developers and seem under the direct control of a strong and insubordinate City Manager, hell bent upon his own agenda, both disturbing issues.

These are just a sample of the troubling issues that attach to the incumbents running for re-election and should give great pause to the electorate as they go to the polls this year.

I have personally come to the conclusion that given the lack of leadership and honesty with the citizens on major policy and spending issues by these four members of council, they should be voted out of office.

While one council member has an easy pass, since no one chooses to challenge him in the Cypress Borough, the other three candidates, Mayor “Bobby” Ralph, Calvin Jones, and Joe Barlow do not warrant the support of the electorate again, given their record of performance.

While some special interests in our community may sing the praises of these three incumbents, it is clear that they have not represented the interests of the average citizens.

They have to often pandered to special interests, approved historically higher and higher spending for questionable projects pressed by an out of control City Manager, and have failed to represent us very well.

They are running scared that the electorate will turn them out of office and we should.

Please go to the poles on May 2nd and support Mary Hill, Charles Parr, and Jeffery Gardy.

These candidates really do care about you and your future and have clearly expressed their support of a twenty-cent or higher property tax rate reduction.

Roger A. Leonard

Suffolk