Letter to the editor: I want to take this opportunity to thank the Lakeville Fire Department for coordinating a successful citizen’s academy. Their knowledge and leadership throughout the 6 week training sessions assisted me in further understanding what it is like to be on the Fire Department as well giving me key safety and life saving advice. The experience was more than I could have expected and allowed me the freedom to get more hands on training with the fire department and was able to appreciate what all of the individuals do for our city. I actually felt like a major contributor in …

To the editor: Do your Homework! I understand, but am somewhat frustrated, with recent Letters to the Editor relating to Lakeville’s Mayoral race. Letters to the Editor offer a snapshot of a candidate; they do not tell us who a candidate will be once he or she is given the keys to the city of Lakeville. We are each entitled to vote for the candidate we wish; however, consider checking a candidate’s website, asking direct questions, and checking a candidate’s voting history before casting your vote. This list of questions may help you get started: Firstly, what platform does the candidate …

To the editor: As a younger citizen of Lakeville, I am proud to call Lakeville home. I am saddened to talk with my neighbors and hear about how Lakeville used to be and it is not like that today. Matt is going to continue to use his unique leadership approach and improve Lakeville. Matt Little is the right person for the job because he has the ability to connect, the passion, and the understanding necessary to make Lakeville a better place. Matt offers a unique way of connecting. As a homeowner, I appreciate that I am able to reach out to him via social networks or when he stops by. I have …

To the editor: We all have some important and serious decisions to make this election cycle. Our local elections are just as important as the state and national elections. We are fortunate here in Lakeville because I believe we have clear choices, particularly for the Mayor. I  have read letters criticizing Matt Little for being young, we can not criticize him for his age. But, do we want a student running our city? He does not have any management experience; do we want our city to be his training ground? I have read about his background as Regional Field Coordinator for the National …

Letter to the editor: To drive your car costs you 50-cents a mile. However using public transportation costs only 25-cents per mile. People fortunate enough to be able to use public transportation are a bit richer for it and are able to use the savings helping themselves and our economy. Several years ago I watched Mark Bellow oppose the then planed public transportation investments in our area because our contribution would cost the same money as half a tank of gas a year. Then more recently, he vehemently opposed converting our old police station to the Heritage Center for seniors, veterans…

To the editor: Leadership is not always a popular activity to engage in because it often means difficult choices, but it’s absolutely necessary, especially with today’s complex issues. Mayor Mark Bellows has distinguished himself as a true leader throughout his entire service to Lakeville, but especially over the past two years as Mayor. Mayor Bellows has been instrumental in driving fiscal discipline and accountability, even when he knew it may not be construed in a politically popular manner. His diligence in requesting that the budget be reevaluated and division heads prioritize needs, he …

To the editor: I am writing this letter to ask for your vote in November to re-elect Mayor Mark Bellows and allow him to continue leading our city forward. I could talk about Mark’s personal commitment and stewardship to our community, but I think many of us already know a lot about Mark, and his personal commitment to our community. What a lot of people do not know about, however, is his true commitment as a public servant. During his nearly ten years on the city council, and the past two years as Mayor, Mark has always put the voice of citizens before the interests of the council and staff…

To the editor: We have the opportunity to elect a mayor this year who has a terrific record of stewardship of our money, has unquestionable personal integrity, has a personal stake in the community and has no personal political ambition.  Mark Bellows is that person!  With 20+ years of service as a Lakeville police chaplain—for no pay—and 10 years on the city council, he has been showing a lot more then a little commitment to our community.  Mark Bellows lives and will continue to live, works and will continue to work, in Lakeville. He pays and will continue to pay tax in Lakeville. He knows …

To the editor:  My family would like to send out a big “thank you” to Mayor Mark Bellows. We are proud to call Lakeville our home, and so proud to have Mayor Bellows leading this wonderful city. Thank you, Mayor Bellows for your help in promoting new business in Lakeville! Thank you for promoting the Developers Forum to encourage more cost effective business and development. Thank you for working towards budget cuts, minimizing employee contracts, and establishing the Financial Advisory Committee. Thank you for reviewing our city departments, and making changes to save our city money. Thank …

To the editor: Last week a letter writer described Matt Little as a “servant leader." While I’ve heard this term many times before, I decided to look it up. This is what I found:  “A servant leader is someone who is a servant first, who has responsibility to be in the world and so he contributes to the well-being of people and community. A servant leader looks to the needs of the people and asks himself how he can help them to solve problems and promote personal development.”  This definition truly represents what Matt Little’s leadership style. Two years ago Matt felt strongly that Lakeville…

To the editor: Education is crucial to a healthy economy. As such, it's crucial we have some one with first-hand experience representing our kids at the Capitol. Will Morgan's experience comes two fold: not only has he taught Physics for the past 20 years at Burnsville High School, but he also has an outstanding record protecting our schools at the state legislature. Who better to advocate the interests of our children's education than Will?  As a teacher he sees first hand the effects of education cuts, like the more than $2 billion borrowed from schools by the current legislature. And after…

To the editor: Last week I had to decide whether to vote at college in Pennsylvania or right here at home in Lakeville. My decision was easy. I’ve come to love this community and know that if we elect good leadership, our town can flourish amidst the most difficult times. That is why my vote for Mayor is Matt Little. Matt is a dedicated City Council Member who I’ve come to greatly admire and respect. I first met Matt because he spent his Saturdays waking up early and devoting his day to helping students, like myself, learn the valuable lessons of debate. The determination to give back to …

To the editor: We and our two boys are glad to have made Lakeville our home for the past 11 years. What attracted us to this city were the excellent public schools, the friendly people and the sense of security.  We vote for public officials who understand the importance of public safety issues, and we feel that Matt Little has the strongest public safety record of all the mayoral candidates. Matt fought through resistance to fill a police records assistant to help keep the police officers on the streets. He felt so strongly about this position that he offered to give up part of his city …

To the editor: Doug not only has a lifelong finance background, but has successfully run his own businesses and held many management roles that include his current position as CFO of Hamline University. As longtime Lakeville business owners and residents ourselves, it is important to us that our city is held to the same fiscally responsible standards that we need to practice to survive. After all, it is all Lakeville property owners that cover the blunders. Doug’s lifelong finance history, education and hands-on experience back up his campaign commitment and assure us of this. He truly …

To the editor: Most of us are familiar with the great ocean garbage patches—the place in the oceans where the wind currents bringing all the garbage together. The Pacific Ocean garbage patch is twice the size of Texas! Most of the time people from the Midwest assume that we cannot possibly affect the garbage in the ocean. It was discovered lately that one of the bottles in a garbage patch was from Iowa! Harley Horsager, Lakeville

To the editor: Subduing the general population presents tremendous profit potential. That’s why the secretive American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) was organized. The ALEC is quietly driving legislation to subjugate us and our government to the capitalists. ALEC designed the overall plan, has a staff writing model legislation and has puppet lawmakers implementing laws. To achieve full domination, evade taxes and maximize profits. Twenty-six major corporations such as General Electric, Boeing, Verizon, and Mattel paid no taxes for the last four years, despite billions in profits. ALEC …

To the editor: Have you noticed all of the badweather lately? It seems like every time you turn around and there is some bad weather somewhere. Every time you open a newspaper someone is having a tornado or drought. It is not a coincidence. It is caused by too much pollution in the atmosphere. Mywife calls it “global weirding!"Harley Horsager, Lakeville

Open letter to the editor: Tuesday, March 27, 2012, is American Diabetes Alert Day—a “wake up” call to inform people about the seriousness of diabetes. If left untreated, diabetes can lead to deadly complications—including heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness and amputation.  Nearly 26 million children and adults in the U.S. have diabetes—including 375,000 people in Minnesota. A quarter of those with the disease—almost 100,000 in Minnesota alone—do not know they have it. By 2050, as many as one in three American adults will have diabetes. The good news is that type 2 diabetes can …

To the Editor: I have spent nearly all of my life in Lakeville. My parents built their first home here the summer before they married. I tried to trick-or-treat on these roads during the Halloween Blizzard of ’91. My high school class was the first to be split between North and South High Schools. I’m proud to say the Lakeville Area Public Schools prepared me for academic success at the University of Minnesota Law School, where I have had the fortune to encounter Lakeville Council Member Matt Little as a classmate. Council Member Little defies every lawyer joke you’ve heard (a feat, you may …

To the editor: What happened to the good old days in Lakeville, when council members could just get along and serve the best interest of the citizens and businesses in the city? No need for one to politic or run for one’s next election. No need to name call or trash talk one’s “opponents." Whatever happened to being neighbors? This is not Washington D.C. There are no party lines. This is the city of Lakeville, a community of neighbors, friends and families. You are here to serve our interest and not your own. Charles Gerk, Lakeville