Many citizens in the City of Ames feel anger toward the City Council, the city manager and the mayor for ignoring overwhelming opposition to the proposed re-zoning of the 13th Street/Interstate 35 area for a regional commercial mall. The economic facts, the environmental destruction, the added expense to the taxpayer, the inconvenient access for elderly and handicapped, the added expense for CyRide, the obvious need for future higher-paying industrial expansion in that area and impending spread of urban sprawl toward Nevada should have been enough for the rejection of such a project. We were tricked into thinking participation in an overlay standard would result in a better plan. Developer Bucky Wolford was asked by the several City Council members what he wanted changed, and the plan was watered down to his satisfaction.

We are angry citizens of Ames who, as one citizen put it, have been “snookered.”

That being said, I will address the issue of the upcoming vote concerning changing the terms of the City Council from four years to two years. If this would solve the problem of poor judgment by our sitting council, I would go for it. I admire ISU students for their courage and foresight. They are rightfully angry at Mayor Ted Tedesco’s suggestion that they pay for putting the issue on the ballot.

I believe, however, that we would not benefit from the shorter terms. The City Council position takes tremendous time, energy, intelligence and ability to listen to many different opinions on many different issues. Learning how to do it properly takes time. I would hope that our great ISU student population would run a strong candidate willing to fill a four-year term and become a part of the City Council we could count on to vote the will of its constituency.

Join the political action group Ames Citizens For Better Local Government, which supports candidates that will better represent the citizens of Ames. Do it today.

Kay Berger

Resident

Ames