We welcome letters to the Editor, a chance for members of the community to comment on issues of concern to them. All letters must be original, not duplications of letters addressed to public officials or written by others. The views and opinions expressed are those of the letter writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of this publication, its publishers, Editor, or staff.
To the Editor:
Over 900 signatures have been collected from citizens who are against the selling of Pine Crest. However, on June 28 the Administrative and Legislative (A&L) Committee (Julie Depasse motion/Jesse Boyd second) chose a Broker to sell Pine Crest. After watching the recorded meeting, Chairman Friske congratulated the Broker and announced that the information would be taken to the Board.
I attended the July 18 County Board meeting to voice frustration of how the Chairman and Supervisors are not listening to their constituents. I received the agenda which states: “All Public Comment is Limited to Current Agenda Items …” Pine Crest was not on the agenda, preventing me from voicing my concerns. Chairman Friske did allow me to speak but would not hear comments about Pine Crest.
According to the A&L meeting, Pine Crest should have been on the agenda and comments from the public should have been heard. Not adding it to the agenda resulted in the loss of my freedom of speech.
Pine Crest recently received a “Five Star” rating for its outstanding facility and staff. Residents are alarmed and confused about their future; we need to slow down and examine all the alternatives. One Supervisor indicated options to stable funding including grant writing and endowments. Why haven’t we explored these options?
I urge you to watch the recorded A&L meeting (6/28) and call your Supervisor requesting due diligence before finalizing the sale of Pine Crest.
– Judy Woller
Merrill, Wis.
Letters To The Editor Policy:
*Letters must be 250 words or less. (There will be no exceptions to this. Any letter longer than 250 words will not be printed.)
*The writer must include their full name, complete address, and a phone number where he/she can be easily reached for verification. Phone numbers and street addresses will not be published, but will be used for verification purposes, if necessary. Letters must be signed and the name, city, and state will be printed.
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Political Letters To The Editor Policy:
All letters submitted as an endorsement for a political candidate, referendum, or political agenda will carry the same guidelines as above; however, they will be charged $40.00 per letter of up to 250 words in length. Longer political letters will be accepted but will be charged $10.00 per additional 100 words. All political letters must be prepaid prior to printing. Letters to the Editor will not be accepted from candidates running for election or representatives of an organization endorsing their own referendum, as these are clearly advertisements and not opinion letters; those submissions will be referred to our Advertising Department to be run as paid ads.