mment
Editorial
Be An Informed Voter At The Polls
The Democratic convention is behind us and the Republican
convention will be held begining next week. Across the nation,
newspapers of all frequencies, serving communities and cities
of all sizes will soon begin reminding people to vote. In past
election years, The News Record has joined these other
publications in urging people to register and vote.
This election year, we have a different message. While most
of us in the media have considered it our responsibility to urge
folks to vote, we have neglected to give the same amount of
emphasis to another, and perhaps more important message.
This message we send to voters - be an educated voter.
Many of us have entered the voting booth knowing for whom
we intend to vote in the major races and most of us know for
whom we will vote in the local races. But, many of us have also
been guilty of voting for people of whom we know very little.
This election year, we urge you to know all the candidates.
Know where they stand on all the issues. Understand how their
positions will affect you, your neighbors, your county, your
state, and the country as a whole. With our right to vote,
comes the responsibility to know how our vote will affect
ourselves and others.
Before you decide to pull a lever marking your choice on the
ballot, make sure that you are making an informed choice and
not a guess. There has always been a great deal at stake dur
ing election years, and now more than ever. The policies of the
two major presidential candidates are as different from one
another as any have ever been. Our national debt is greater
than it has ever been. The need to take definitive action
toward solving economic, environmental, and social problems
is as urgent as it has ever been. The choices we make in the
voting booth will determine how, when, and indeed if we are to
address these problems.
Pick up a newspaper, visit the library, write for a copy of the
candidates voting record, turn on the radio or television - the
sources of information are abundant. In Madison and Bun
combe counties, the local League of Women Voters will be
happy to provide you with information. Visit the local head
quarters of the candidates. On a local level, visit the can
didates themselves. In short, there if no excuse for being unin
formed. Our future is too important to trust to guess work.
This election year, don't just know how you will vote, know
why and know what your vote will mean.
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Letters To The Editnr
Many Misled
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To the editor,
I would like to express some
thoughts on the school issue that has
split the Spring Creek Community,
and caused a lot of untrue things to be
said. Many people are being misled.
I feel the state and elected officials
are oo top of this problem, and per
sonal interference by a small group
has only caused more of a problem in
this matter. We pay taxes, and I feel
that is the way it should be handled,
instead of hitting on people to take
money out of their own pockets. Could
it be that someone has a selfish or
personal reason for starting all this
trouble?
I have read where they have had
several heated meetings over this,
but not once have ! read or heard
anybody mention prayer in this mat
ter. If this were done, the Lord might
show us the right direction to go. It
might even unite the community. The
Lord works in mysterious ways.
Please pray about this matter.
Robert W. Mumblo
Rt. 1
Hot Springs.
Let's Remember
The Handicapped
Marshall now has two spaces reserved for handicapped
parking. This small step was long overdue in coming, and we
applaud the board and Mayor Ward in particular for her
tenacity in securing the spaces and for recognizing the need
for these spaces.
Unfortunately, the Board of Aldermen has stopped short of
making the businesses in town truly accessible to all our
citizens and visitors.
We watched from the office window as a young man in a
wheelchair tilted dangerously back to go over the curb onto
the sidewalk this past Monday. He managed to clear the curb
and get onto the sidewalk before we could offer assistance. As
we were leaving the office, he asked, "Who do you see about
getting some ramps around here?"
Redesigning the sidewalks or installing ramps is an expen
sive proposition but a necessary one. Marshall has taken the
first step toward providing accessibility and we urge the
board to consider other measures to make the town complete
ly accessible.
More distressing than the lack of ramps is the attitude many
of the visitors to downtown Marshall take in regards to the
reserved spaces. Almost daily, we see people park in the
spaces, get out of their cars and walk into a place of business.
Certainly, there are people with hidden and temporary han
dicaps. We doubt that they exist in such numbers in Madison
County. Most of these viola ters stay in the spaces a short time.
Any time is too long to someone who must go through the dif
ficulty of unloading a wheelchair, or walk several blocks using
mechanical or artifical walking aids.
When we have business to do in Marshall, let us remember
what the handicap parking spaces are for, be thankful that we
don't need them, and drive around the block one more time.
Community Issues
Zoning Can Protect Homeowners From Chronic Worry
By YVETTE WESSEL
What is to many the dirtiest word in
the English language? No, you're
wrong. It isn't that one.
It's "zoning," a word with amazing
powers to affect ail kinds of people
Those who see it as an intrusion into
private rights break out in a rash of
Us very mention.
Government officials, more often
than not, hate it because it often
stands between them and instant
gratification Its best friends are
those who regard it as protection of
their rights and planners who think of
it as indispensable to rational
mi wouldn't think a two-syllable
d could pack such a wallop, but
, "war" ? no.
Those who followed the story will
be familar with the outcome. Several
other owners of property on 213 pro
ceeded to submit applications for
rezoning to commercial thus remov
ing the taint of illegality from the
orginal request; the Aldermen Ig
nored the Mayor, ignored the
Mayor's request for guidance from
the Planning Board and rezoned to
commercial all those properties
under consideration.
All the above was perfectly legal as
our local laws are presently written.
The developer cannot be faulted for
trying nor for having been inade
quately counseled; the neighboring
property owners anxious to preserve
the investments in their homes can
not be blamed for protesting. The
Planning Board has only the power to
recommend; the Mayor baa no veto
or voting power; the Aldermen have
the prerogative to vote as they
choose.
defined requirements such as buffer- 1
ing, setbacks, landscaping, permissi
ble grades on slopes, height and site
limitations, required revegetation of
gouged and cleared land without at
tention paid to impact on neighboring
sites, whether they be private homes
or businesses -cannot be defined as
progress.
Sight lines are an important con
sideration in Madison County and
should be kept firmly in mind. The
desecration of a view may prevent
construction of a potential tax
producing home development
Planning defines progress and it
defines growth. Progress and growth
do not have to be disruptive. There is
a propert place for retail
establishments, for fast-food
restaurants, for corporations, and,
yea, for carwashes. There certainly is
a way to ensure attractive commer
cial development
There is also a way to protect
homeowners from chronic #orry
about unexpected changes in their en
For zoning to work, a majority of
the public must be convinced that it is
in its own beat interest. Since best in
terest always comes down to the bot
tom line on a ledger, the public must
come to the realization that
maintenance of property values and
esthetic considerations have
monetary value.
It must be willing to set goals,
define the direction in which it wants
development to go, where it wants it
to go, give local government the tools
with which to stick to those goals and
resist the temptation to reap short
term profits at the expense of long
ranee benefits.
Surely it is time for Madison Coun
ty residents to assess the economic
advantages of preserving natural
beauty. God has done a splendid job
with our landscape, but two glaring
examples demonstrate what man has
done to mar it
The Marshall Bypass has become
rights is protection of one's environ
ment.
One of the most difficult aspects of
zoning is the necessity to stick with it
even when personal interest or in
clination may interfere.
The temptation to relax standards
for a former classmate or a brother
in-law is a strong one. In this county,
family relationships, old school ties,
insider-outsider resentments and
political loyalties often influence
Judgments that run counter to the
common good.
There does not seem to be any other
workable explanation for the
prevalent reluctance to hire effective
zoning enforcement officers and to
pursue violators, and for the
tolerance of neighbors who flout the
law. . , 4
The best zoning is based on al
reasoned, well thought-out land use
plan that takes into consideration
growth trends and housing patterns.
The best zoning is not reactive and
is not easily overturned. The best zon
ing is a base on which developers of
commercial properties and current
and potential homeowners can de
pend.
The best zoning is a base on which
developers of commercial properties
and current and potential
homeowners can depend.
The best zoning is compromise that
reconciles conflicts in the interest of
all residents. The worst zoning is the
result of inadequate planning and a
lack of long-term goals.