I am very interested in the upcoming mayoral election as an OU student who grew up in Athens County and as someone who cares a lot about our beautiful hills and green spaces. I was dismayed to read that Ed Baum thinks E. State St. is a positive (Athens News, Oct. 8, 2007). I think it is atrocious. It is ugly, treeless (due to power lines that could have been buried) and full of chain stores whose owners far away profit from our business. Meanwhile, many local businesses have closed, including Bob's and the Stimson Ave. hardware store, both within walking distance of my house. And the forested ridge along E. State St., where I love to hike and which people I know worked so hard to preserve, is now so noisy that I can't even hear the birds above all the traffic's noise. So I will vote for Paul Wiehl on Nov. 6. Paul will work to protect what I care about and what makes Athens Athens. People can check out his ideas at paulforathens.org to see why I think he'll make a great mayor.
Kevin Fletcher is a senior majoring in specialized studies in environmental botany and photography.
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Letter to the Editor
