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Letters are posted as we receive them during the week, and before they are printed in the paper, so check back frequently to see new letters. If you'd like to send a letter to the editor, use this postmarks submission form, or email your letter directly to mail@austinchronicle.com. Thanks for your patience.
No on Gómez
RECEIVED Wed., Feb. 2, 2022
Dear Editor,
For the past 25 years that I’ve lived in Travis County precinct 4, Margaret Gomez has been the commissioner, and the only time I’ve heard from her is receiving pandering election time mailers to remind us of something she did decades ago. She is an entrenched politician whose ego and inaction has harmed her constituents.
Folks warned her for years about the possibility of flooding in neighborhoods, which she neglected. Unfortunately, the floods of 2013 and 2015 had devastating effect. People died, families torn apart, property destroyed.
She acquiesced to powerful interests in getting the Circuit of the Americas built, but didn’t push to add adequate infrastructure for the southeast part of the county.
She takes contributions from wealthy Trump donors and piggybacks on work done by community activists while showing little interest in organizing underserved and working people to build alliances in getting adequate grocery, road, and health resources.
For the past 25 years that I’ve lived in Travis County precinct 4, Margaret Gomez has been the commissioner, and the only time I’ve heard from her is receiving pandering election time mailers to remind us of something she did decades ago. She is an entrenched politician whose ego and inaction has harmed her constituents.
Folks warned her for years about the possibility of flooding in neighborhoods, which she neglected. Unfortunately, the floods of 2013 and 2015 had devastating effect. People died, families torn apart, property destroyed.
She acquiesced to powerful interests in getting the Circuit of the Americas built, but didn’t push to add adequate infrastructure for the southeast part of the county.
She takes contributions from wealthy Trump donors and piggybacks on work done by community activists while showing little interest in organizing underserved and working people to build alliances in getting adequate grocery, road, and health resources.
Steve Voytowich
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I-35 Emissions
RECEIVED Wed., Feb. 2, 2022
Dear Editor,
It’s sad that just three months after the Glasgow climate summit, in their commentary on IH 35 expansion [“Making Good Trouble on I-35,” Austin at Large, Jan. 28], [“Brave New World,” Public Notice, Jan. 28] neither Mike Clark-Madison nor Nick Barbaro mention the greenhouse gas implications of the monstrosity TXDOT is trying to foist off on us. To start with, roughly 38% of a highway project’s lifetime emissions result from construction, ensuring a big greenhouse gas release right up front.* Then if the project works as designed, there’ll be more cars, with more emissions for decades. And finally, if the 26-lane Katy Freeway in Houston is any indication, it won’t work as planned, leading to massive traffic jams and more emissions.
It’s sad that just three months after the Glasgow climate summit, in their commentary on IH 35 expansion [“Making Good Trouble on I-35,” Austin at Large, Jan. 28], [“Brave New World,” Public Notice, Jan. 28] neither Mike Clark-Madison nor Nick Barbaro mention the greenhouse gas implications of the monstrosity TXDOT is trying to foist off on us. To start with, roughly 38% of a highway project’s lifetime emissions result from construction, ensuring a big greenhouse gas release right up front.* Then if the project works as designed, there’ll be more cars, with more emissions for decades. And finally, if the 26-lane Katy Freeway in Houston is any indication, it won’t work as planned, leading to massive traffic jams and more emissions.
Philip Russell
