To the editor:

As wife of the general manager for MV Transportation, the contractor providing service for Lawrence Transit and KU on Wheels, I have hesitated to get into the fray on the topic of public transit in Lawrence; no longer.

Eight years ago, this city showed such strong support for public transportation that a system was put into place that would rival any newly installed system in the country. For reasons that remain a mystery to me, instead of standing up in public and vocal support many of our community leaders – elected and otherwise – have chosen to at best remain silent. This laissez-faire attitude has paved the way for the erosion of funding for the system, as well as public opinion about it, to a shameful degree.

If we can see the value in funding a public golf course, a beautiful arts center, and any number of services that add to the quality of life in our city, why would we NOT want to fund something as basic as access to the whole of the city by the whole of its citizens?

The idea some have proposed, to scrap what we have and start over, isn’t even a possibility; check the facts. Instead, let’s make a commitment to restore funding to a level that was originally intended, and plan for the improvements that we all know are needed. I hope you’ll vote “yes” on Questions 2 and 3 on the November ballot!

Barb Sweeten,
Lawrence