Published: April 09, 2008 12:36 am            

Letter to the editor - Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Why Kokomo won’t prosper

We have watched and seen good-paying jobs removed from our area. Delphi, Chrysler, DuPont, and the list goes on ...

Our new administration is doing a great job with what they had to work with.

As a previous small business owner and currently working with one now, I see for myself that Wal-Mart, Walgreens, Fortune Management and big corporations are the only thing the local planning commission cares about.

As a business that wanted to improve their property, and we hope our business and employment, we have seen the way government in Kokomo really works.

We applied for a permit to beautify and square our property with the surrounding businesses in October. We went to check on this status in February. After six trips to the planning commission, and getting a different answer every time, we were told in March that all we needed to do was hire a professional landscaper, and have the city check for water runoff. This accomplished, we made another trip to the planning commission to find out they had thrown four new ordinances in our path.

Is this the way to develop Kokomo? I don’t think so.

We are all paying higher property taxes due to giving away the farm to Chrysler, and now with Delphi in Chapter 11.

The mayor can’t do everything. It is time that we taxpayers demand a change to local government. My best suggestion is to fire everyone in the planning commission and start over.

Small business accounts for many jobs in this country, including Howard County. Take us away and I can truly say the last person out of Kokomo, turn out the lights!

Brent McCoy

Kokomo

        

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