Richard Brady: ‘A voice of sanity’

Iam writing to applaud Richard Brady’s excellent column on the Foothills Forum survey in last week’s paper.

His is a voice of sanity amongst all the Foothills Foolishness. Being a member of a family who’s been here for a long time he speaks with a legitimacy that no one on the Board of Directors or the advisors involved with Foothills (with one exception on the Board of Directors) has. Yet he’s ignored by Foothills and given a little pat on the head for some of his heartfelt statements like, “We want to be left alone.” There’s absolutely no attempt to “bring him to the table” with direct contact and discussion. Just condescension.

It’s absolutely essential now to pay close attention to the doings of our county government. This is where change takes place in the county and where it always has. Read the Comprehensive Plan. Go to meetings of the Board of Supervisors, Planning Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals and so on. This is where for good or bad the direction of the county will be altered. We all need to be on top of this and involved especially these days.

The Give Piedmont Day is coming up May 3. Foothills will be one of many non-profits seeking “donations.” This means that a group doing a job that’s not needed, doing it expensively, and then giving money to the local newspaper to publish its articles will be in the pool with other charitable organizations helping students, dogs, cats, the elderly, lower-income people and others. Think about it. BETH GYORGY Sperryville