Traverse City Record-Eagle

Opinion

January 28, 2012

Letters to the editor: 01/28/2012

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Something better

Gary Kent Keyes' recent letter to the editor gave a wonderful local dream list for the coming year. I haven't studied all of his issues, however, annexation of the townships adjacent to the city is pretty simple. "Consolidation of equals" is a less offensive term, but the concept doesn't merit dream status just yet. The Traverse Bay Area Public Schools has preferred complex intergovernmental contracts over a more direct democratic process (consolidation).

Unfortunately, people simply don't trust the politicians, the voters or our democratic systems to reorganize local government. Duplicate water systems in East Bay Township and Traverse City, duplicate fire departments, duplicate law enforcement, multiple code enforcement officers and county administration of the $7 million septage treatment facility are all acceptable to the public.

People don't dream of ways to change to something better. If we can't dream of it, we certainly can't do it.

John S. Porter

Traverse City

(The writer was Supervisor of East Bay Township from 1980 to 1992)

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