Letter: Salem mayor is trying to pull a fast one

Oppose Blacksburg zoning amendment

Two Councilmen stood with Salem residents at a recent press conference informing the public that Mayor Renee Turk is leading a lame duck abbreviated reapproval/complete rezoning of HopeTree's 63 acres with corrections to Salem's original flawed process for the plan (which is currently under legal challenge). This is a case of "Two wrongs don't make a right.":

3) Before the new council members are sworn in Jan. 1 (the new majority — Hunter Holliday, John Saunders, Anne Marie Green — are on record against the rezoning.

The mayor wants the current council familiar with proposed rezoning/development to revote. But the Planning Commission has two new members voting — a clear contradiction. We ask for consistency, fairness.

Twenty-six days does not work without calling the Nov 13 joint public hearing. The original process spanned January to June. Double public hearings are unheard of in Salem.

Century-old charity HopeTree never paid taxes. Outside developers don't. Surrounding neighborhoods pay taxes. We deserve a strong voice at this table. This affects us.

Salem representatives: Slow the process to normal speed. Seat the newly elected council. Fairly assess citizens' concerns after they have adequate opportunity to examine revised plan (i.e., 41 versus 31 acres to be developed. There is a hotel, contrary to Mayor Turk's latest remarks, etc.). Answer important questions we asked that remain unanswered. Obtain third Party Studies necessary for such a complex proposal on pristine land without adequate access to Interstate 81.

Stella Reinhard,

Election made me feel like a fool

I am a fool.

So much of what I thought, even a few days ago, was wrong.

I thought the foundational American ideals that "all men were created equal," and "nobody is above the law" were a matter of faith for all of us.

I thought a man who stole thousands of government documents, many of them highly classified, would be punished.

I thought a convicted felon, a man who lies reflexively, shamelessly, and blatantly would be rejected by voters.

I thought followers of the Prince of Peace would reject any morally bankrupt man, but instead many of them embraced him with messianic zeal.

I thought a man who consistently denigrated our military and disparaged the people who serve in it would be rejected by voters.

I thought a candidate who spent his entire campaign fueling hatred, retribution, and division would lose votes because of it, but instead he gained more. I thought a man who fomented an insurrection or helped our direst enemies before our own citizens would be unforgiven.

I thought a former president who many historians considered the worst in our lifetime would never stand another chance to be re-elected.

I thought American women cared about their reproductive rights.

I thought most Americans felt that LGBTQ people deserved all the rights and privileges of the rest of us.

I thought in our 21st Century we had gone beyond superstition and now trusted the expertise of our scientists, scholars and medical researchers.

I thought we learned the lessons of World War II and were devoted to fighting against fascism wherever it occurred. I thought we cared about promoting democracy and human rights everywhere in the world.

I thought a principled, intelligent, and highly qualified candidate could win, even overcoming such "negatives" as being female and non-white. I thought most Americans believed that even in the toughest, most stressful of jobs, a woman was every bit as capable as a man.

I thought we were driven by the better angels of our nature. I was wrong.

I am a fool.

Michael Abraham,