Editor, OBSERVER:

On Nov. 3, 2015, Athanasia Landis, M.D., decisively defeated Michael Sullivan, J.D., with her vision of a revitalized Village of Fredonia. On March 25, 2018, the OBSERVER revisited the issues of that election with an editorial arguing that the Village should make do with a crumbling infrastructure secondary to inadequate staffing.

I am reminded of an 1819 painting by J.M.W. Turner entitled Rome: The Forum with a Rainbow. The painting depicts the ruined Forum unpopulated except for a single black bird flying through the green and overgrown ruins.

Rome has recovered since 1819, re-growing around the ruins of the Forum. Similarly, in 2015, the voters of the village of Fredonia showed their desire for regrowth in line with Mayor Landis’ vision.

If the village is to resurge, its significant and impressive plant must be cared for in order to keep visitors and, perhaps, new residents coming to its restaurants, libraries, and flurry of events.

Any plant requires staff to maintain minimum operation, regardless of size of population. Insufficient staff means ruined plant.

The OBSERVER editorial makes the point that short-staffing of plant is a general trend in the United States in the 21st century. This American short-staffing drives vacationers and retirees overseas.

In 2015, the voters showed their desire for a resurgent village. Now is the time to proceed with that vision.

MICHAEL C. BARRIS, Ph.D.,

Fredonia