Reader Mail Week of Feb. 27

Reader seeks accountability on board
I am appalled that the majority, led by democrat George Schwartz, voted down a proposal by Supervisors Cord Sterling and Mark Dudenhefer (and supported by Paul Milde) to tie a portion of the pay of supervisors to advancing universally held goals of a balanced budget, improvements to education and public safety. A mere 5 percent of board pay would be tied to each of these. However, Chairman Schwartz, Joe Brito, Bob Woodson and Harry Crisp rejected this accountability. Perhaps we should not be surprised given their record in these areas.

Most disturbing of all was Mr. Schwartz's comments that public safety is not the supervisors' responsibility, and his ridicule of the concept that Stafford schools should be competitive with Spotsylvania, Prince William, Fairfax, and Fauquier. What are Chairman Schwartz's responsibilities, if not ensuring that we have a safe, fiscally responsible community where our children can get a good education and compete for good jobs in the future? Are education, public safety and fiscal responsibility three of the "special interests" that he is campaigning against in his race for the House of Delegates?
I am intrigued by the concept of tying supervisor pay to school performance, public safety, and fiscal responsibility. If it were to pass, we might actually see real change for the better in Stafford! Perhaps this is something that our elected officials at all levels should consider. This county has had enough of this democrat-led board. We need accountability and "real" change.

Lisa Rotte
Stafford

Hospital open house informative, fun
Being a local resident of Stafford County, my husband and I attended the Stafford Hospital Center open house on Feb. 15. I thought the building and the space was rather beautiful and ample, and hospital is very convenient to get to. This event was a fun learning experience getting to see all the machines used and just seeing the opening of a new health-care center nearby is great!

What peace of mind to have an emergency room convenient to the house since nobody ever knows when we’ll need it. All in all, the grand opening was fantastic and the bus ride to the hospital was just plain fun!

Anna Victoria Reich
Stafford