We are now faced with another fiasco, with the North Carolina Department of Transportation trying to make “unsolicited improvements” on the road between Columbus and Tryon.

Initially they tried to make the road a four-lane super highway or, as I have previously called it, “A Highway to Nowhere”. This attempt was defeated by strong citizen pushback, and the NCDOT scraped their plans.

Then, semi-covertly, they sent out a bevy of surveyors looking for some other way to spend money on the same road.

I haven’t heard them justifying the need or requests for spending millions of dollars on this new project. Personally, I can’t believe the amount of turmoil that will be inflicted on some businesses and home owners, not to mention the inconvenience will cause all people who daily commute between the two towns.

To sum it up, anybody with any sense of reasonableness will see this proposed project is sheer madness.

As bad as this project appears, I have a real concern and a question that needs to be addressed.

Where are our local government leaders on this issue? Why haven’t they apprised their constituents of what the NCDOT has been up to?

It appears that only active group addressing the issue are concerned citizens. We have two towns and county government officials who appear to have been playing three blind mice during this fiasco.

Maybe it’s time to replace officials who aren’t doing the job they have been elected for — looking out for their constituents best interests.

Okay politicos, this is your chance for each of you to individually articulate what you have done on this issue and where you stand.

Karl Kachadoorian, Tryon