To the editor:

I took part in a farce on Monday last Jan. 7, at the Polk County Commissioners’ meeting.

There, a number of speakers, myself included, respectfully asked the board to accept the unanimous recommendation of the planning committee to adopt a county-wide ordinance to protect our ridgelines.

The recommendation of the planning committee was the result of inputs by citizens and numerous experts, and reflected the best thinking of the community regarding this issue. The board not only rejected the recommendations of the committee and the pleas of the citizens present, they stripped Polk County of any regulatory protection for our scenic beauty.

That is, unless “letting engineers do their jobs” constitutes such protection. How’d that work on Chocolate Drop?

My first thought was that this collection of middle-aged white guys must be on the take. It then occurred to me that they had recently been elected by a majority of Polk County voters. So, while they may still be on the pad, they apparently reflect the desires of the majority of Polk County voters.  And we must therefore conclude they don’t want any protections for our scenic resources, and, like the board, they’re not interested in hearing input from experts who have indicated there is a necessity for such protections.

Ain’t democracy grand?

– Chris ter Kuile, Tryon