To the editor:

Some time ago, I saw a sign in our local park that read “Donated by Douglas County.” I’m sorry, I couldn’t help but read between the lines and insert the words “the citizens of” between the words “by” and “Douglas County” to form the sentence “Donated by the citizens of Douglas County.” Maybe, this was just an oversight; after all, there is no law mandating that these words be used.

County Commissioner Charles Jones was recently quoted as saying, “There is a technical question of whether we are legally required to have a vote, and the answer to that is no,” regarding the purchase of the Farmland plant. Shouldn’t our elected officials lobby to change these laws to best represent their citizens, to implement checks and balances to ensure a better democratic way, instead of meeting behind closed doors and replacing the words “the citizens of” with “our own agenda” and playing a host developer?

I personally would like to see our very own elected officials, i.e. Charles Jones, lobby for a law that states that all city and county real estate purchases appraised at a million dollars or more regardless of how it’s financed (bonds are only made solvent with tax dollars) be placed on a public referendum with built-in safeguards and all the legal jargon so there couldn’t be any exceptions.

Why do you suppose we don’t have such a law?

Jeff Bivens,

Lawrence