Letters to the editor, March 12

We all said "No"

The turmoil surrounding the application that might have resulted in Homes with Hope receiving a 75-year lease from the town at no rental has preceded the P&Z hearing to such an extent that the application has been withdrawn.

The town was being tempted by a temporary deferral of the statutory requirement that it have a certain amount of assisted-living facilities, but not much else. It was being offered the dubious opportunity to give away a very valuable property, and very likely the task of insuring and maintaining it. I don't think the taxpayers would have approved it if asked.

There is an important principle here. If the town owns land it wants to dispose of, it must ascertain its value and receive adequate payment for it. It may not give it away as is proposed here, no matter how worthy the recipient. A 75-year lease at no rental has an equivalent value to a sale.

Who besides the officials and the developer and Homes With Hope were in favor of this measure? Certainly very, very few of the rest of us who live here and pay taxes and own the land as taxpayers.

At the meeting the other night one of the threatened homeowners displayed a small sign, saying simply "no." This annoyed the chairman who asked the man to put the sign down. Another commissioner said free speech was the man's "right" and called for a vote; the chairman was upheld by one vote. The man conformed. The chairman forgets that during the Y hearings the room swam with yellow T-shirts carrying a message and he said nothing. The chairman was out of order.

If the hearing had been held we were preparing a sign that said: "No -- Don't Mess Things Up."

Sidney Kramer,

Chairman, Save Westport Now

Help reform education policy

Connecticut's children were the losers in the first round of the federal Race to the Top competition, missing out on a chance for almost $200 million in much needed funding for education. This was not unexpected given how far behind Connecticut finds itself compared to other states in terms of developing and implementing innovative education policy that works. The result: Connecticut consistently and for decades has been failing its low income students.

We have the largest achievement gap in the nation, which effectively saddles our eighth grade urban students with a fourth grade education. No other state has such an abysmal record. Fortunately, for these children stuck in a system that doesn't work, it's not too late. The second round applications are due on June 1.

We need to ask our legislators to take a stand and show courage to make long overdue reforms in our education policy. If states like Massachusetts Tennessee and Virginia can do it for their children, so can we!

Marianna Kulak McCall

Westport

Learn more about open government

What is Sunshine Week (March 14 -- 20), and why does the League of Women Voters celebrate it at about the time of Pres. James Madison's birthday in March? Almost 200 years ago, James Madison wrote, "A popular government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a prologue to a farce or a tragedy; or, perhaps, both." His words remain a call to action today.

The League of Women Voters, among other national organizations, sponsors Sunshine Week to promote the importance of open government and freedom of information. Given the gravity of the issues facing our nation, the need for public access to governmental decisions and policies that affect all Americans is greater than ever. From the local level -- where land use and school funding decisions are made -- to state level budget deliberations or questions how federal funds are allocated -- citizens need access to government policies and decisions in order to hold their representatives and the government accountable.

On Friday, March 19, from noon -- 2 p.m. (EDT), the Education Fund of the League of Women Voters will co-host the fifth annual Sunshine Week National Dialogue. The event will be webcast live and among the noted panelists will be Norm Eisen, special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform; and Miriam Nisbet, the new director of the Office of Government Information Services (OGIS).

We invite you to access www.OpenTheGovernment.org to learn more about the dialogue. If you would like to learn more about open government issues, visit the LWVUS Web site at www.lwv.org or the CT Foundation for Open Government Web site at www.ctopengovt.org.issues.

Alison Rivard and Doris Skutch,

Co-Presidents,

League of Westport Voters of Westport