To the editor:

This is in regard to the recent decisions – either on the table or already made – about various real estate properties in Lawrence.

Why does it seem that developers’ wishes matter more to Lawrence administrators than those of our community residents? Why does it seem that money and the will to spend it in areas where either a new Wal-Mart, a seven-story hotel or an airport business complex are not wanted, speak louder than the voices of those who come to the City Commission to beg for their support in preventing those?

Lawrence, once a nice town where most businesses served the people who live here, has become what is (rather crassly) called by southern Californians a “tourist trap.” Downtown, for all of the praise showered upon it, is a mecca for tourists, with few businesses now serving any but the wealthy members of our community.

I’m glad to see the Casbah opening as a “grocery store” for downtown residents, but it is also unaffordable for the average Lawrence resident. If anyone has read “The Kansas Guidebook” by Marci Penner, I think in comparison to many smaller towns whose populace are struggling just to survive, our community has lost its heart. We are not joined together in planning our businesses or keeping historic buildings preserved by the need for survival.

Elitism is dividing the town, holding those who wish to preserve its character in suspended animation or, worse, feeling defeated.

Listen to your electorate, commissioners, and restore the balance.

M. Roy,

Lawrence