For the community
Timothy L. Wright
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
RECENT COMMENTS have suggested that the Chamber of Commerce and the citizens of Lyon County have different interests in mind. This is not the case. I have been involved with the activities of the Chamber for many years and I know that the purposes of the Chamber and the citizens are the same!
The Chamber members, officers, board of directors and employees are all citizens — some, like me, live out in the country. The Chamber board of directors has representatives from business, government, K-12 education, higher education, non-profits, health care and so forth — a broad representation of our community.
The entire focus of the chamber is to help make Emporia and Lyon County a better community and a better place to live. The Chamber’s mission is to “be proactive in creating an environment for business AND COMMUNITY success.”
Because of its interest in the success of our community, the Chamber formed a committee to study county government. The committee had broad representation from our community and worked for almost two years researching and talking to other counties. The Chamber members worked so hard on this issue because they care about Emporia and Lyon County. There is no hidden agenda. There is no other benefit to the Chamber other than to improve the operation of our county government. The committee was made up of highly qualified and trustworthy individuals. I value their opinions. I value the hard work they did. I value their commitment to making Emporia and Lyon County a better place and a more viable community.
The Chamber members and board are all taxpaying members of the community. None of them want to pay higher taxes. The committee’s research indicates that professional management will be good for Lyon County in the long run.
I urge you and ask you to vote “Yes” to hiring a county administrator and “Yes” to expanding the County Commission to five members.
Timothy L. Wright
Emporia