I’ll be supporting Waynesville incumbents
To the Editor:
Regarding the Oct. 25 article, “The heart and soul of Waynesville is on the ballot,” I was born in Hazelwood, am a lifelong resident of Haywood County and owned a small business on Main Street for many years.
I served 16 years as alderman for the town of Waynesville. I know firsthand the challenges that a small town faces as it balances services, growth, safety and living wages for town employees.
I approve of the choices that the mayor and alderman have made to steer Waynesville through the pandemic and to keep Waynesville thriving and strong. We have all driven through small towns that are ghost towns — no tourism, no thriving businesses, young people fleeing for better opportunities. For many years, my hometown of Hazelwood was just that.
It was a perfect example of a town council that refused to grow the tax base and make tough decisions — resulting in waste that actually cost taxpayers: 20% of the water purchased by the town was lost to leaks in the infrastructure. It wasn’t until the merger with Waynesville that Hazelwood was able to thrive — thanks to Waynesville’s strong tax base.
The Town of Waynesville’s budget is available online and budget meetings and hearings are open to the public. Every detail of every purchase the town makes is available online. I will be casting my vote on Nov. 7 for the incumbents who understand this and seek to unite residents around a common vision — a strong, thriving Waynesville.
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LeRoy Roberson, O.D.
Haywood County
