Attitude about library is a disappointment

I am incredibly disappointed and concerned with the direction some City Council members and certain library board members have in regards to the new library.

The central library location was researched and voted on by the people of Deschutes County, a location to best serve the entire county, not just Bend residents.

It’s not about whether I, personally, am for the location. It’s about the few people who believe they have the power to override a democratic vote of the people. It is downright scary that we seem to be living in a time when our democracy is at risk by those who have little respect for the vote of the people and seek to override that with their position of power. When our vote no longer counts we have what looks more like a dictatorship. Libraries are the most democratic of institutions, and to have two library board members actively working to cancel the public vote is disturbing.

The opposition of a few shows so little respect for the people of Deschutes County. It seems to demonstrate a desire to control rather than represent the people who have placed trust in them. How will they be able to encourage people to vote in the future when they feel their vote does not count?

Again, it’s not about agreement with the location, it’s about respect and honoring the votes of the people.

— Sheila Walker, Bend

McLeod-Skinner for Congress

I am casting my vote for Jamie. I want someone who will be a true representative of our new district in D.C.

As a former mayor and councilor in Newport, a part of Rep. Kurt Schrader’s former district, I have experienced firsthand the lack of representation Mr. Schrader really provides. Contrary to the blitz of misleading ads funded by “outside money,” Schrader was nonexistent during my tenure in Newport. I have no recollection of any visits from him or his staff to Newport while I was working to solve local issues. I want a representative who will make the effort to stay in touch with their district, refuse outside money, and truly work for their constituents. The fact that he recently dropped out of a long-scheduled debate is proof that he doesn’t really want to engage with voters.

We have a new district, and this is the right time to start fresh with someone who will keep their eyes on Oregon. Jamie McLeod-Skinner is a grass-roots candidate and is tuned in to our needs, not influenced by “outside money,” and she will not disappear once elected.

— Mark McConnell, Sunriver

Show a better side of our community

I was shocked and disappointed as I read the article about outdoor influencer Nelson Holland’s recent trip to Central Oregon (Explore Central Oregon, April 15). Holland, a Black man visiting from Colorado, was walking along 14th Street shortly after arriving in Bend when someone shouted the N-word from a passing car.

The article brought back the memory of a similar story relayed by a Black friend of mine, John, a graduate student at our midwestern university. John’s preferred mode of travel was to walk in that easy-to-get-around college town. While we seldom discussed racial issues, one day over beers he confided, “Keith, I probably get called a (N-word) two or three times a week, almost always some guy yelling from a car.”

It was a disturbing story then, but it may bother me more today reading about Mr. Holland’s experience — 40 years later— realizing society hasn’t really changed that much.

It’s hard to imagine a more ignorant, cowardly action than shouting a racial slur from the safety of a passing car and I can’t fathom the emotions it must inflame in the victim. But then I’m a white man who never faces such bigotry. Frankly, it’s embarrassing to think our city has these citizens among us.

I hope and pray they’re few in number and that perhaps they’ll read this and rethink their behavior in the future. I also hope Mr. Holland returns one day and that we can show him a better side to our otherwise wonderful community.

— Keith Winsor, Bend

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