Letter to the Editor: Upset about letters

By VERN HINTON Orangeville

Dear Editor,
I am very upset with the letters to the editor last week. I find it hard to believe that anyone could find Mr. Riddle’s letter on April 26, one of anything less than concern and help for the people of Orangeville. We are tired of the water schedule when we feel that the only reason that the schedule is being used for is to rule over the citizens of Orangeville. We do agree that we should conserve water even in good years such as this one. However, we are responsible citizens and would like that chance to show that we are intelligent enough to conserve and not have to be watched by our city officials. We also want Mr. Davis (Letter to the Editor-May 10) to know that we have read the Castle Dale City letter that they gave their citizens and that they only reminded them to water from the hours of 5 a.m. and 10 a.m., and 5 p.m. and 10 p.m., and no watering on Sundays. I, as a citizen, would enjoy having the trust of our city officials that Castle Dale has shown their citizens, not only this year but for several years now. They have not been told they can water only two days a week, there is no schedule.
I don’t find anything wrong with Mr. Riddle’s encouraging people to call and ask that the restrictions be lifted. Is that not what America stands for? Are we not still a democracy?
We want our freedom like other cities in our county have. We take issue with Mr. Jones (Letter to the Editor-May10) in that you do not let us live the spirit of the law, rather you make us live the letter of the law, you, meaning the city council. Mr. Jones, why don’t you make it so that it is a better place for all of us to live. Why can’t you listen to people and help the laws work for individuals? We cannot see the concern you say you have when people in the city office seem to be working against us, and the city councilpeople are responsible to make sure that city employees are doing their jobs to help us. They are paid employees, paid by the citizens to help us in any way possible. It is my opinion that the city only sees what they want to see, and hears what they want to hear.
We have been put on the planning and zoning agenda without our permission, or being notified by city hall that we are on the agenda. We found out from some concerned citizens that we were on the agenda and we were very upset about being put on the agenda without having knowledge that we were going to be discussed at the planning and zoning meeting. If we had not been told of this happening, they would have just made their decision without us. That decision could have harmed our daughter. The city council says it tries to make decisions that are for the good of the people; how can this be a true statement when we were not even given the courtesy of a phone call from city hall telling us that they had put our names on the agenda? What is coming from city hall needs to be controlled. This is totally irresponsible and does not show us as citizens that we can believe in our city government. It is not that we don’t want to trust our officials, but it is hard when they show us that the city council cannot control what is happening at city hall.
I am getting tired of citizens being asked to leave just because they have a different view point and they get labeled as trouble makers. Citizens have even been told by a city councilman not to befriend certain people within our city if you want to have any friends at all. We are only trying to live our lives in peace. How much better it would be if city officials would not label people and if we would be a little bit more willing not to spread statements that hurt others within our community.
Just because I am a concerned citizen does not mean that I watch people. On the contrary, I watch out for opportunities to reach out and help, like Mr. Riddle was doing in his letter to the editor. He doesn’t deserve to be treated badly. I hope to see more articles in the paper from him. I want to learn what he stands for and how he believes that cities should function. So Mr. Riddle, please continue on, we admire you for standing up and shedding some insight on the water issues and the other issues that you have stood for which have benefitted our community.