LETTERS: NEGATIVE CANDIDATES IN JACKSON

To the editor:

As I am sure most citizens of Jackson are aware, the election season is a little different this year. In the past, candidates and current officeholders have stated their qualifications and their plans for a better Jackson. Unfortunately, that is not the case this year. One candidate has chosen to act as a rabbit for a small group of disgruntled special interests and fill the air with accusations, misstated facts and general rhetoric. In general, I believe when candidates take this action, it is because they don't have a solid platform to stand on and wish to take the attention off themselves and their little groups of special interests and place it on others by telling everyone what they are supposedly doing wrong in the world. Let's hear some specific ideas and plans these candidates have, not garbage. I implore Jackson voters not to be misguided by this strategy. Let the candidates tell you through actions or words what they are going to do for Jackson.

I have always said I would never write a negative letter about anything that would or could be read by the general public. I just found out never is an awful long time. I would like to address a few accusations that have been thrown around. I hope we will finally hear some true campaigning for the rest of this election. I don't have the time, and I don't believe the newspapers have enough space, to cover all the accusations that have been thrown forth, but I'm going to try to hit the major ones.

First of all, I do not know what the discussions within the board of aldermen's chambers were concerning the purchase of the industrial park and what studies needed to be done and what didn't need to be done. Perhaps the firm the city had hired to survey this land and also who did the engineering for the city at that time should have brought forth these questions.

As far as location studies, this area does have a firm with an individual this area hired to do such things. His name if Mitch Robinson. Will they now say that Jackson, Cape Girardeau and Cape Girardeau County are irresponsible for hiring someone who doesn't agree with their views? As far as how the industrial tract lies, environmental studies, appraisals and land sale prices go, I will answer them plain and to the point: 1. Welcome to Cape Girardeau County. There isn't much flat ground around here. 2. The Jenkins family signed an environmental indemnity agreement to protect the city in case something arose. 3. Next time, try to use the word "independent" in front of the word appraiser, if you can. 4. I can name you several pieces of property the city has bought and sold for industrial use that have been close to this same price, and some actually exceed this price by several thousand dollars per acre. I also know of land around this same area this is priced several thousand dollars per acre more than this. Again, refer to Mitch Robinson, the person this area put its trust in to do his best for our economic future.

And now for the big one: If you want to accuse my family of doing something illegal, come on and do so. We will take it before a court, and I can live the rest of my life off of you and your special interests' mouths and money. Jackson is still a relatively small community, and you would be hard-pressed to find anyone to serve on the Board of Aldermen if you were to tell them they could never have done nor never could do any business with Jackson. I'm sorry that I served on the Board of Aldermen five years ago and didn't know that my family would decide to sell a tract of ground to the city. I wonder what names we would come up with if we looked at this type of action in the past. Are they guilty too?

Citizens of Jackson, don't be fooled by such antics. They don't have a place in our city or our elections. If you don't like an official or candidate, vote against him. But do it for the right reasons. Jackson is not perfect. Neither is the world. No one is going to be satisfied 100 percent of the time. When you are on the Board of Aldermen, you learn that pretty quickly. The aldermen's job is to do what is best for the city as a whole, not for certain groups or certain citizens or certain situations.

I think they have done a pretty good job.

KEVIN W. SAWYER

Jackson