To the editor:

Well, you get what you voted for, or as is the case of this year’s primary, didn’t bother to vote for.

Some of us have been outspoken for years about the fact that the city continues to spend money and resources on “amenity projects,” i.e. the T, Eagle Bend, the Sesquicentennial Park and traffic-calming devices, but has failed to support the basic services (police, fire and emergency personnel) that a city with the population of around 100,000 needs. Less than 20 percent of the eligible voters were concerned enough to express an opinion. There wasn’t enough of an issue to bring them out.

Don’t cry about the slow response of the police to your complaints or need for protection. Get someone on the City Commission who will put the dollars behind the words that support the safety of the community. More committees and commissions will not put more police officers on the street to answer the needs of the community. They will not get adequate pay and funding for equipment. If you were not aware of it, it is an open secret that the Lawrence and Douglas County emergency services departments are understaffed and underpaid.

Get off your duff and demand that the city commissioners put the safety of our residents before spending more tax dollars on expensive “amenities” that drain our tax dollars and benefit a very few. If you don’t vote for fiscal responsibility, then don’t complain because your basic services aren’t adequate. Get out and vote April 5.

Ken Meyer,

Lawrence