Letters To The Editor

 Resident recommends candidate

To the editor: I would like to recommend Paula Gish for Oldham County judge-executive. As a concerned citizen, I have been involved in matters concerning my neighborhood.  When Paula was magistrate for our district, she was always available to help. At our neighborhood meetings, she was always in attendance, taking notes, briefing us on the issues that mattered to us. She would be our eyes and ears, representing me and my neighbors with the greatest attention to detail.  Her hard-working efforts may find her walking your neighborhood soon. The Judge-Executive position needs to have a person that can work many agendas all the while looking out for the people of Oldham County.  Paula has built the connections that only experience can bring. As such she can tap the resources she has developed and help us build on the strength we enjoy as the envy of every other county in the Bluegrass.  At the recent Brownsboro Conservation Council forum, Paula showed the audience she has what it takes to represent the citizens of Oldham County as no one else can. Am I writing this because we are friends? No, I simply feel she is best to represent us at this critical time in our county’s future.  Managing growth and reducing “big government” is a top priority for me and after discussing this with Paula, I feel she can represent my interests the best.    As a conservative registered Democrat, I am proud to recommend Paula. Please join with me and elect a positive, can do person for this important position in our county.  Rick Derthick Goshen   Library will soon be back to normal To the editor: The library wishes to thank everyone in the community for their outpouring of concern and their offers to help library staff cope with the recent water disaster to the Main Library in La Grange. A mechanical malfunction in the water system on the mezzanine level caused a large amount of seepage through the ceiling into the staff workrooms and offices inflicting some major damage to the floors, walls and ceilings of the library work areas. Luckily, the public areas of the library including public computers, book and A/V collections, furniture and circulation areas were not affected by the overflow. The library was closed until contractors were available to monitor the water and plumbing so that patrons could come back to their library. Special thanks go out to Elizabeth and Walter Underwood, library patrons who, upon returning books to the book drop early Thursday morning, noticed water coming out of the weeps in the bricks on the side of the building and thoughtfully notified dispatch, La Grange Utilities and me.  Kudos to Serv Pro of Oldham and Shelby Counties for their immediate response time and their professional expertise in drying and de-humidifying our building to guarantee a mold-free environment. Additional thanks are warranted by the wonderful library staff at Main who came in to work and helped remove items from harm and assist in the drying efforts. I’d like to offer special thanks to the staffs at the South Oldham and Mahan branch libraries for handling patron overflow (unfortunate term) while Main was closed. While our integrated library system was shut down on April 15, public libraries in Shelby, Henry and Jefferson Counties agreed to provide computer access to patrons in getting the tax forms they needed proving that public libraries are indeed community services across county lines. As I wandered the halls April 15, sloshing through about two inches of water, I kept looking into the Children’s Library where artistically painted on the large windows it said “SPLASH, Catch the Reading WAVE!” This is the theme of the upcoming Summer Reading Program but at the time seemed a cruel play on words. But the library is back, soon to be good as new. Susan Eubank Library Director   Letter does not speak for everyone in city To the editor: I would like to respond to a letter published in the April 14 edition of The Oldham Era, submitted by Matt Hudson.  Hudson wrote, “The people are laughing directly at the mayor and her small group of cronies.” I am one of the people who is not laughing and Matt Hudson does not speak for me. We have been here almost 12 years and rent a building behind the mayor’s residence to minister to the community, especially in prayer and restoration. Since we’ve met her, she has always treated us with the utmost respect and I have never heard her talk about anyone else in a disparaging way. In fact, she has welcomed and requested prayers for wisdom to lead the city and for all of La Grange. Her tears have watered the ground in this area. God does not look at out outward appearance; He looks at our heart and no matter what our political affiliations, we need to pray for those in authority. As a leader myself, I know we cannot please everyone and must endure many criticisms but Matt’s letter does not reflect the spirit of the La Grange I know and the mayor who leads it. All leaders need your prayers for wisdom, even if you don’t agree with them. Until you’ve “walked a mile in their shoes,” you can’t imagine what they deal with. Not only does La Grange need our prayers, but also we should pray for our elected officials and local businesses in this distressed economy. I normally keep a low profile and take my concerns to prayer, praying for all the people here especially the leaders. Our nation needs our prayers! Prayer changes things that people cannot. Let’s be that city, that when people visit, they will say like one of the Ironman bicyclists said to me, “I feel the spirit of God in this city.” Let’s be known for integrity and excellence. With God’s help and his wisdom, we can do it and set a standard that others will be drawn to establish and I hold myself accountable to this same standard. Linda Shea La Grange   Candidates shouldn’t try to get votes through newspaper boxes I would like to address the continued use of newspaper boxes by the political candidates running for office. I have delivered newspapers in Oldham County for 10 years and today was the final straw with dealing with politicians putting advertisements in paper boxes begging for votes!  I wonder if these candidates realize the extra work and trouble these fliers have caused us paper carriers. As I went to put my first paper in the box at 1:30 a.m. today it fell on the ground and into a ditch because there was a flier that blocked the paper from going smoothly into the box.  While hanging out my car door on the wrong side of the road and reaching into a ditch to retrieve the newspaper that is now in four pieces I came to a simple solution. I would like to invite all politicians who feel the need to place “junk” in newspaper boxes to get up at 1 a.m. with me one morning and ride with me while I deliver my newspapers.  I will send him/her to the ditches to retrieve every newspaper that falls out of the box because of his/her fliers. I also would encourage each and every one of them to place an ad in the newspaper if they want to campaign or mail their “junk” to the voters.  Some candidates have gone so far as to put individual packets of grass seed with his/her fliers or packets of jelly beans along with the fliers. These candidates won’t dare put these fliers in mailboxes for it is against the law!  Please do not beg for votes via newspaper boxes. We carriers work hard to earn our money and do not need the hassle and if candidates want to beg for votes they should pay for an ad or postage. I have come to this simple conclusion after watching our Insight Channel 25 and watching officials falling asleep and making fools of themselves.  When heading out to the polls to vote, write-in your newspaper carrier for office! We are dependable, hard working, honest, work seven days a week rain or shine, work even when we are sick and will not make promises to you that we cannot keep!  Robin Yahl La Grange