To the editor:

I will be voting “yes” on Questions 2 and 3 concerning the proposed sales tax to fund our public transit system. Here are a few reasons why:

l We would have had the money to support our transit system if our City Commission had not diverted the 3.2 mill levy that had been earmarked to fund the T beyond our federal fund appropriation. Why punish innocent citizens for this action (which was not their fault) by removing this needed service.

l Nearly anyone would acknowledge that the current transit system has problems. There are plans afoot to fix these. For instance, there has been discussion of replacing the current hub-and-spoke route system with a grid system, allowing buses to converge at more than one focal point in the city. We can’t fix a system if it isn’t around to fix. And by the way, it’s much more expensive to re-establish a new system than it is to modify one that is already in place.

l I have always loved the spirit of community that exists in this city, a spirit that is nurtured by many of our citizens; one that demonstrates that we value that which is beyond ourselves. Let’s continue to nurture that spirit by making sure that the T has an opportunity to exist, to be transformed and be there for future generations.

Susan Tabor,
Lawrence