Last-minute suggestions offered to Santa (12/24/05)

The list is here, and after checking it twice, we’ll offer these last minute suggestions to Santa when he makes his rounds tonight.

For the city of Dunkirk, facing an unprecedented shortfall in property tax revenue due to the state’s miscalculation, we’ll ask for a painless, fair path to fiscal security. A no-interest loan from the state, which is after all responsible for the mess, would be a good place to start.

For the town of Redkey, which will happily kiss the year 2005 good-bye as one it would like to forget, we’ll ask for continued strong leadership from new clerk-treasurer Sandra Kirby and town attorney John Brooke. They have their work cut out for them in 2006, but they’re on the right track.

For emergency workers and utility crews, we’ll wish for no repeat of last January’s ice storm. None of us wants to go through that again.

In fact, for everyone facing higher prices for natural gas and heating oil, we’ll ask for the mildest winter possible. December has been colder than usual, so we’re counting on a break in 2006, with an early spring.

For all who love nature, we’ll wish for a 2006 without the appearance of emerald ash borer in Jay County. The thought of losing 15,000 trees, as Decatur will, is profoundly depressing.

For John Jay Center for Learning, we’ll wish for a successful completion of the transformation of the Weiler Building into a new home.

For our friends to the north in the South Adams school district, we’ll ask for a teachers’ contract. Trust, understanding, and morale have been woefully eroded by the past few years of impasse. It’s time to build some bridges and re-establish a healthy working relationship.

For our friends to the south in Randolph County, we’ll wish for a windfall that would rescue the courthouse without digging too deeply into the taxpayers’ pockets.

For the city of Portland, we’ll wish for an exciting year of new commercial and business development. So many projects are on the drawing board at the moment that it’s hard to keep track of them all.

And, finally, for local troops serving overseas and their families, we’ll wish for a year of safety, good health, and a swift return to their loved ones. Merry Christmas. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]