Opinion Letters
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More like a monarch
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Published: June 30, 2009
Since the vast majority of city residents have absolutely no interest in a new baseball stadium, why would an obsessed mayor, Allen Joines, and a tag-along Winston-Salem City Council ignore the authentic and expressed interests of its citizens?
What is the mayor's hidden agenda? It can't be the absurd belief that downtown can be restored to its former glory. All retail has moved to surrounding malls and people I know wouldn't live in core downtown if you gave them a condo. So what is it? The mayor is beginning to act more like a monarch than a mayor. He should not run for a third term. I'm sure that he has bigger fish to fry. His wealthy, entrepreneurial friends would help him willingly, because he certainly has done a lot for them in the special-interests category.
I urge qualified city residents who have considered public service at the mayoral or city council level to throw their hats in the ring.
The time is right.
The election is in November.
The issue is abuse of power.
JERRY HELTON
Winston-Salem
Inspired by his story
I read your June 13 editorial "Fighter for social justice," about Winston-Salem City Council member Nelson Malloy. Many people should be inspired by Malloy's life story. Malloy, like President Obama, came from a humble background. Yet neither man let that deter them from making great accomplishments. Both men, in their own way, worked for social justice with their grass-roots activism and have been voices for the underdog.
As your editorial says, "Malloy took office as the city's power structure was shifting, from one in which corporate leaders called the shots to one more open to other voices." Malloy was one of those voices.
Although Malloy was paralyzed and restricted to a wheelchair, that did not stop him from making significant contributions to society. Malloy's life is a clear testimony for other handicapped people that they should not be deterred from fulfilling their dreams, no matter what obstacles they face.
There is only one Nelson Malloy and he may not be easy to replace on the city council; as the editorial concluded, "We need candidates and incumbents who will ask hard questions, champion causes, encourage debates and challenge us to think. Nelson Malloy has been a master at that, whether you agreed with him or not. For his service to the community, he deserves our thanks."
LENWOOD G. DAVIS
Winston-Salem
No business
With the news that Gov. Mark Sanford has joined the ranks of other Republican adulterers like Sen. John Ensign, Sen. David Vitter, Sen. John McCain and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (oh, how soon we forget), I never want to hear the phrase "family values" coming from a single Republican figure, ever again.
I know, the same happens with Democrats; but the Democrats don't go around acting like they have the keys to the Gates of Heaven, either.
I also don't care what the Republicans have to say about the arrangements other people make. Yes, I'm talking about same-sex marriage. These holier-than-thou pillars of hypocrisy have no business making moral pronouncements about anyone else's lives.
TY DILLINGHAM
Winston-Salem
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