The one bright light of new income for our state is the ancient look of Santa Fe and the rare beauty of our rural areas. Planting 87 antennas all over The Ancient City will kill any interest to film and television companies; we will look like Oakland, Calif.! This plan will ruin property values — who wants ugly towers blocking our mountain views?

After all the work to keep our architecture in line with traditional adobe and Territorial styles, we cannot let these companies trash our homes with antennas.

This is against property owners' rights and against our right to public hearings. There will be less oversight than when we run a new sewer pipe!

Many other cities paved the way with careful contracts with these corporations, defending their citizens' rights. Is Santa Fe to be the "hick town" that does not?



What will happen to our property values if unregulated antenna or cell towers can be placed in our front yards without our consent or prior knowledge, and we don't even have a right to know what it emits?

The Federal Communications Commission allows cities to halt telecommunications projects until ordinances to protect the community can be crafted.

San Diego's ordinance requires a separate application for every antenna site; specification of preferred zones and locations away from residential areas and schools; notification of property owners; public hearings; an appeals process; and city discretion to deny permits.

I urge councilors to adopt a moratorium and draft an ordinance that protects the rights of citizens, our land-use policies, property values and health. Help our City Council do the right thing and come to the meeting at City Hall tonight at 7.

Post-vote wrap-up

Only 27 percent of Santa Fe's registered voters braved sunny skies to go the polls on March 2. A few days later, In Iraq, where citizens had to risk their lives from bombs to cast a ballot, 62 percent of registered voters turned out. The contrast makes a mockery of our attempts to spread democracy around the world. We don't practice what we preach to others.


I would like to thank all the people who worked very hard to make the city election happen. As a candidate for City Council District 1, I had the opportunity to meet with a lot of wonderful people who made an impact in my life. Even though I did not win, I have no problem whatsoever standing strong behind Chris Calvert, who I know will do a great job for the next four years. I highly encourage all the candidates who did not win and the people of this, "our city," to support those candidates who did win, in the hopes that they all stay true to what they said during the election season. We need to start working together, or nothing will ever get accomplished.

During this election, I stayed true to who I am and what I believe in. I know that I made a friend in Chris and many others in this community because of that. I might have only received a small portion of the vote, but what I gained from this experience is worth a lot more than that.


Riverside ruin

I broke into tears as I read "River section left bare," the March 5 horror story of the trees along the Santa Fe River being cut down by some clueless city parks supervisor. My kids and I have participated in the river restoration, and I was so proud to see how lovely it was beginning to look after years of neglect. This cannot be regarded as just a simple mistake, particularly because it isn't the first time that such a mistake has been made.

The effort to heal and restore the Santa Fe River has been an ongoing effort for years. Scientists say planting trees will do much to control carbon emissions and global warming. And what about wildlife, which now have no home? The persons responsible for this need to be disciplined, and the city needs to make sure such a travesty never happens again.


Regarding "River section left bare" (March 5): This slashing of river vegetation is shameful. Gradually, the once-verdant Santa Fe River will soon resemble the Los Angeles River channel — all concrete and ugly. The unnamed "young parks supervisor" should be relieved of his duties and not allowed to even think of doing something like this again, as a memorable lesson to his or her colleagues.

Your story also states: "The city crew also mowed down 95 percent of the vegetation in another span, between Guadalupe Street and the DeFouri Street Bridge. The stewards for the stretch are REI and Outside magazine." This was no accident! Mayor David Coss must not accept some lame excuse from the wrongdoers: Can them, and let's move on to reclaim the once-lovely Santa Fe River!