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Dear Friends,
I'm logging on to the West End Forum for the first time tonight since Nikki passed away on July 9. Thanks to everyone who has expressed sympathy to me here on this website, in person, or by emails, phone calls, or cards. Every contact has meant so much to me.
My home and my life cannot be the same without Nikki, because she was such an important member of my family. But I know time will heal the hole in my heart as it heals all losses. Fortunately (or unfortunately, however you want to look at it) there is plenty to be done in our community in the meantime that takes my mind off my grief.
The closing of our fire station is of great concern to me. While Nikki was ill during the past months, I had two small house fires; one because I was so exhausted that I could hardly stay awake and left her food cooking on the stove unattended, and another in the dryer because I was doing so many loads of laundry to care for her that it overheated and caught on fire. My house was also burglarized one day while we were at the vet's office, and now it will be even harder for me to get out in case of a fire because, in addition to burglar bars on every door and window, the front and back of the house are boarded up with plywood. A few extra minutes of response time might not mean anything to the mayor, but they mean a lot to us living here in the West End.
I missed so much work taking care of Nikki that it's a wonder I didn't lose my job. Ten people on our court were let go last Thursday because of budget cuts. It's expected that during the next year those of us who still have jobs might be furloughed (work without pay) for as much as 30 days of the year. I work for the government, and I work for the courts, an office that I perceive as pretty essential. Still, I believe that NOTHING is more important for our government to do than protect the public safety.
My blood boiled when I heard Mary Norwood say at the city council meeting on August 18, "Closing a fire station is painful, like closing a swimming pool." No, Mary, it's not like closing a swimming pool. When Anne Fauver said she had to vote against funding the reopening of Fire Station 7 because she "couldn't support taking funds from areas needed to run the city" (referring to departments like the city finance department, corrections department, judicial department and law department) I thought I would scream. Ms. Fauver, nothing is needed more to "run our city" than fire and police. And when Natalyn Archibong first said that she wanted to get from the point of saying that the station needed to be opened to actually opening it, I wanted to cheer. But then she followed it up by saying that she was personally troubled by the fact that reopening the fire station meant budget cuts that would result in the loss of cemetery security at Oakland Cemetery. Excuse me, Natalyn, but THOSE PEOPLE ARE ALREADY DEAD! They don't care if we get the money. They would gladly give it to us, I'm sure. They don't need a night watchman, but we do need a fire station to protect our children and families, WHO ARE STILL ALIVE!
Don't these people get it????
I can't go to Tuesday's city council meeting to help convince these city council members to override Mayor Franklin's veto of the legislation funding the reopening of Fire Station 7. I'll risk my job if I miss more work. If any of you can go, please do. There's no question that citizen comments, coming from the heart, make a difference. On August 18 I listened to citizens speak and watched the faces of the city council members as they listened. I saw heads nod and notes being taken. In their discussion later the points made by citizens were often brought up.
Fire Station 7 answered more than 2,640 calls last year. You be the judge. Do we need a fire station here in our neighborhood, or can we wait for fire trucks to come from some other part of the city to answer that many calls?
Debbie
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