Listen to the people
By Bill Kennedy
Daily Press
January 22, 2006
In the January 15 paper, I found the article about Buckroe redevelopment ("OK of Buckroe road leaves redevelopment open-ended") very interesting and informative. There are two camps, which have opposing views on how to "save Buckroe," and they are entitled to their views whether they are going in front of the City Council, writing letters to the editor or signing petitions.
Apparently Bill Ernst has determined that many of the nearly 11,000 people (about 7.8 percent of the city population) who signed a petition have no true feelings about the area. However, the same people who show up at the City Council meetings with the same canned messages are the ones representing each camp - and it doesn't take 9,000 other people showing up at a council meeting to get a message across.
It doesn't matter if you are a transplant or a longtime citizen of Hampton, or which side you are on; your opinion counts and shouldn't be dismissed. If you had no feelings, you wouldn't have done anything. Buckroe belongs to all the citizens.
Bill Kennedy
Past president, Buckroe Beach Civic Association,
Hampton
