To my fellow residents of Coulee Dam:

I have lived here since before we had a city government, under the rule of USBR. When we formed our first government we were very lucky to have a group of people whose sole goal was the good of the town. Through the years we have continued to have able, hard-working citizens who considered it as part of their duty to give the town their best.

I have watched the towns around us over years of acrimony, name-calling and just plain mischief making while our mayors and council members gave their time and energy to give Coulee Dam a stable and dependable government. Over the last few months I have attended council meetings and I was horrified by the atmosphere, the acrimony, the name-calling, the just plain discourteous behavior I observed. After one meeting I went up and spoke to some of the council members to apologize for some of the actions I saw.

We have an election coming up and it is essential for the council members and the mayor to work smoothly together. Mayor Snow has always worked well with the council. From my dealings with him I can say he has always been attentive to my problems, trivial as they might seem. He has always responded promptly to any questions or requests that I might have.

Therefore, as a long-time observer of city affairs, I hope you will think carefully before you vote how important it is that our “city fathers” cooperate with each other. And if there is a disagreement it is worked out peacefully. You might want to think of our national government, which is practically at a standstill, accomplishing nothing, before you mark your ballot. Change can be good, change just for the sake of change can be a very poor idea.

So, please, think about your choices, then express them by voting. Your vote is a gift from people who gave their lives so you could have it. Sitting at home on election day is a sign of disrespect to them. So make your choice please, then mark your ballot and take your share of responsibility for good government.

Carol Netzel