Letter to the Editor

Developers in charge

To the Editor:

I’m the guy who fought the Twin Creeks development on Hillside Road for over five years. That’s the one that included five acres within the national park. I never expected to stop it but you don’t stop fighting things that are wrong just because you know you won’t win. I got media coverage with the TV news and The Plain Dealer. I got copies of the plans and I studied up on the city’s ordinances and building regulations. I attended every planning board meeting and I fought it like hell.

They say you can’t fight city hall. That’s because the deck is already stacked against us. Local opposition … even public outrage doesn’t matter much. I don’t think anyone on the planning board even looked at the plans. They would have rubber stamped it right then and there if they could. The most pointed question from the planning board to the developer was what the development’s signage in front would look like. Yeah, … it was THAT pathetic.

So when is the deck stacked? It’s stacked on Election Day. The development community pushes their slate of candidates for mayor and council to facilitate THEIR agendas. And we have a lot of them in Independence politics right now. It’s obvious who they are. They vote in lockstep and they hold a strong majority.

There’s only one way we can really stop them. … WITH YOUR VOTE!

Say NO to the never-ending development mentality on Nov. 7.

You HAVE the power!

Daniel Sobotka 

Hillside Road ∞