“Traditional Values, Progressive Thinking”
It’s no secret that the City of O’Fallon has experienced tremendous growth over the past several years. When a city grows as quickly as O’Fallon has, change is inevitable. Some people welcome and embrace the changes that occur and others strongly oppose them.
This nation is built on a democracy where people have the right to express their opinions as well as the right to disagree with others’ opinions. As Mayor of O’Fallon, I respect those rights.
People are free to write letters to the editor in our local papers expressing their opinions about the decisions that are being made by city officials. However, what people need to understand is that the lack of a response from City Hall does not necessarily mean that I or the City Council agree with what is being said.
I made the decision early in my tenure as Mayor to not respond to these letters by personally attacking the letter writer. Issues are never resolved successfully when personal attacks occur and the situation becomes emotional. I have, instead, chosen to meet one-on-one with people to discuss the issues. In many cases, I have found that the letter writer didn’t have all the facts on the issue at his or her disposal, or was misinformed. Once we talk and all the facts are shared, people usually understand why the decision was made. That doesn’t mean they always agree, but at least they understand.
The new Family Sports Park has recently been one of those issues. We currently have only 67 acres of active park space in the City of O’Fallon with 237 teams competing for diamonds and fields. In addition to the Parks and Recreation teams that use these facilities, numerous other organizations also use them. Those teams include the Boosters, Little Panthers, Metro Athletic Club, Metro, Rebels, Select, St. Clare School, OTHS, District 90, and Central School. With over 9,000 children in our community who are 18 years of age and younger, competition for playing and practice space is very intense. In fact, 288,000 people participated in the use of City facilities during 2004.
The number of people who wish to participate in team activities in our City is going to continue to grow along with our increase in population. The O’Fallon school districts are projecting 70-130 new students per year from this growth. National Park standards indicate that a city should have six acres of park space for every 1,000 people. The new 200+ acre Family Sports Park will not only get us up the National Parks standard, but also will accommodate O’Fallon residents well into the future.
I am willing to meet one-on-one with anyone who has a concern about any issues related to our city. I welcome your suggestions and comments and encourage you to contact me at 624-4500. It is through your input and dialog on important issues that we will make O’Fallon an even better place to live and work. It is an honor to serve as your Mayor, and I appreciate being given the opportunity to work for the residents of O’Fallon. Happy New Year to everyone and it is my prayer that 2006 is a wonderful year for you and your loved ones.
Gary L. Graham
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