Letter: City Has Already Seen Barrett's Vision
 |
To the Editor:
The challenger in this year's North Adams mayoral contest wants to make this election about vision and the future. We do not need to look to the future to see his vision. All we need to do is look backwards to the times when:
- Businesses had to have their paint colors approved by the corner office;
- New restaurants had to run their menus and names by the mayor for his approval;
- An ice cream shop didn't dare put a sandwich board outside for the public to see;
- A massage therapist took her business that now employs several people to Williamstown because the mayor thought that that kind of business sent the wrong image of North Adams;
- Business signs on Holden Street had to look like they came out of a bad 1980s suburban development;
- A toy store's short-lived restaurant had its certificate of occupancy revoked after the owners bought their own building that some had envisioned as part of the Mohawk Theater;
- Renowned theater architects had their detailed plans for a renovated Mohawk edited and dismissed by a politician before they were hidden away in a drawer.
- Public murals were considered an eyesore;
- Downtown benches and pocket parks were seen as magnet for hoodlums and drug dealers;
- The idea of thousands of tourists spending money in town on a given weekend was considered an inconvenience;
and most importantly, when people with ideas were met with "this is what I want" instead of "How can I help."
We know what that vision looks like. Vote for it if you think that's what North Adams needs.
Greg Roach
North Adams
Tags: election 2015, letters to the editor, NorthAdamsElection,
