To the editor:

If I thought for a moment about the difficulty that ordinary citizens have in persuading the City Commission to see their point of view when an especially contentious issue comes before them, I would suspect that our elected officials were taking money under the table from developers whose positions on those issues consistently are favored over those of residents who dare to oppose them.

The Dillons Mass. Street expansion will test the good will of the people who have been working very hard to bring sense and practicality to an expansion that seems targeted more toward an “upscale” population in a large city than toward the very diverse population of east and central Lawrence neighborhoods whose residents are this store’s customers. Their plans for remodeling, which include completely closing a store that is vital to the occupants of Babcock Place while the new store is under construction, are unrealistic for the area. Yet they persevere, with just a few concessions to their neighbors. And sadly, the commissioners approved most of their “revised plan” regardless of residents’ objections.

I seem to recall that the body politic refers to the people whose needs and wishes our elected officials are in office to serve. I don’t understand how both businesses and politicians can, in good conscience, separate themselves from the Lawrence body politic when making crucial decisions about the built environment of our town.

Why bother to vote, or even to write letters such as this one if our feelings, thoughts and needs matter so little?