January 22, 2004

Dear Sir,

I am compelled to write regarding the continued ineptitude of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors.

In the past week we have seen an article about residents suing the Board of Supervisors for their inability/unwillingness to staunch the unfettered growth in the county. We have also seen Ray McAllister's column twice devoted to the growth problems in Chesterfield.

Based on this information, as well as my experience as a resident of the county, I must ask the following, "How can this be!?" Why it was just last October during the local political campaign that we were told, ad naseum, what a superlative job BoS stalwarts such as Art Warren and Rennie Humphrey have done of "controlling" growth in Chesterfield. In fact much of Warren's campaign literature touted his effectiveness in his efforts at controlling said growth. Warren also made it quite clear that his opponent at the time was "in the pocket" of the developers and would open the county to unchecked growth, the likes of which we could not possibly imagine.

Now, post election, we are regaled, almost daily, with stories lamenting the "out-of-control" growth in the county. It has even led, as Mr. McAllister points out, to a new term being coined in which the word Chesterfield is used in a less than flattering manner. We had a chance to change all this during the last election, but too many Chesterfield residents chose to stay with the status quo and now they are reaping what they have sown.

Is this the point at which I say, "I told you so"?

Sincerely,

Floyd C. Bayne