Dear Editor,
Sixteen years ago I left Iola, because I didn’t like some of the rules that were being put in place. Now I find myself back here trying to raise my daughter.
Well, to get to the point three times in the few months I’ve been back my mail was not picked up. So I went to the post office to complain. The postmaster advised unless I have mail to be delivered to my house the postman does not have to pick up my mail going out. This is wrong. We pay 40-something cents for a postage stamp and it is just a few steps from where the postman walks to where my mail is. I have lived in several different towns and my mail was always picked up. The last eight years I lived in Humboldt and they always picked up my mail even if I had none coming in. I am going to change this in Iola somehow.
Also, I do not plan on voting April 5. Not one person running for office in my ward has impressed me at all. Not even those running for mayor. They all talk about bringing jobs to Iola and having affordable housing. That’s all they do is talk. About affordable housing — they all think that means someone can buy a home for $100,000.
What about the people that can’t buy a home? Affordable housing for us is not having to pay $500 to $900 a month on rent. So for those of you that are going to vote, think carefully about who is running.
I also don’t believe Iola needs a city administrator. We are going to put nine people into office to run this city. Why can’t they do the job?
I don’t know everything about running a city, but if each of them was to learn one area then we don’t need an administrator.
Last thing is the hospital board. Why are you paying over $30,000 an acre for land? You brought someone from out of town and they say that is a good price and you agree. Stupid! Good farm land doesn’t go for that.
You need to get the 20 acres for $5,000 an acre. You talked about moving the clinic later on. Well this way you would already have the land to do that.
And also what about the helicopter. Where are you going to land it out here on East Street? On the 20 acres you would have a place to build a heliport. This way you would not have to fight for the land like you are doing now.
The East Street site is expensive and would cost more to fix the soil there.
So the city doesn’t get the money from the utilities — but look at the savings you could have. I have never liked the idea of having the hospital on East Street. Also look at the traffic on East Street in the mornings and afternoons when people are coming into town to go to work and getting off of work and bringing their children to school.
There is a lot of traffic out here.
Jimmy Yochum
Iola, Kan.
