Letter: ‘Just Say No’ signage on referendum is a lie

To the Editor-

The misinformation coming from certain members of our city council is unbelievable. Council President Meleesa Johnson has a sign outside her house that states “just say no to increased taxes.”

I find it ironic that the very person who helped orchestrate and push a referendum for the health care center that increases taxes by up to 90 million dollars would put a sign outside her house saying “just say
no to increased taxes.” Mind-boggling at the very least.

Somebody needs to explain this to me. Let’s say that Stevens Point goes ahead with their two-lane road diet. How are we going to pay for a project that will cost over 45.3 million dollars? There will be grants available but nowhere near the 45-million mark. I am suspecting that they will have to raise taxes.

So. If you have a sign in your yard saying “Just Say No to Increased Taxes” you might as well take that sign and throw it in the garbage It’s a blatant lie. No has nothing to do with it. Misinformation at the very core.

If we redo Business 51 and widen it a few feet on each side that makes the road much safer as the outside lane now becomes easier to navigate. Add other safety features to this new four-lane road and the cost will most likely be below the proposed two-lane road diet.

You do not have to put a center turn lane or a median as Scott Beduhn, the mayor and AECOM found out when I directed them to Mike Wendt from the Department of Transportation.

I ask this: When is the city of Stevens Point going to quit manipulating the facts to get the citizens to believe that the two-lane road diet is our only option? Alderman David Shore has stated this repeatedly. It is not!

Grants will be available regardless of whether the road is two or four lanes. Taxes are going to go up regardless of the final product of the road.

We all know that Business 51 needs to be redone. Do it right and that means doing it as a four-lane road so businesses can continue to succeed and commuters can continue to travel Business 51  in a safe and efficient manner.

Make no mistake about it. The upcoming referendum is all about Business 51. The only way to get the city to put Business 51 on a binding referendum is to pass this ordinance and vote yes on August 9.

Potholes have nothing to do with the referendum. Give me a break. I have a monkey wrench for the city council. Fix the road correctly and keep it four lanes. Citizens of Stevens Point do the right thing, many people across Portage County are depending on you. Get out and vote. A yes vote secures the economic well-being of the Business 51 corridor.

Kevin Flatoff
President
South Side Business Association