The Observer Newspapers | More Bad Press for Herndon

August 15, 2008

More Bad Press for Herndon

To the editor:

Here we go again. Just when we thought the negative press fervor had died down and things were returning to normal, Councilmember Dennis Husch comes out with a list of proposed actions to stem our rampant tide of unwelcome residents.

NBC Channel 4 and NPR reported on some of the proposals on Aug. 11. I'm sure other news agencies have picked up the same reports. Why do we need more negative press?

Some of the proposed actions are so beyond belief I'm appalled that Town Council would even consider them.

"...revoke ABC licenses of all 'quickmarts' in the area." This is not a sound business decision for anyone within the affected area. If I were a business owner, I would strongly challenge any action of this magnitude. It's like killing a fly with a nuclear weapon. It won't stop people from drinking and only punish the business owners who are licensed by the Virginia Alcohol Control Board to sell alcoholic beverages. And where do we draw the line on "quickmarts?" 7-Eleven? CVS? Bloom? Giant?

"Establish a Town policy to confiscate all bicycles that are chained, tied to trees or sign posts in the public right-of-ways." Are we asking the police to confiscate these bikes? Business owners? What would we do with these bikes? How could anyone know how long the bike had been chained up? Perhaps parking meters for bikes!

Another proposal: "Establish a room rental permit program" where residents would apply for a license to rent a room. Inspections would need to be made so that a smoke detector and two exits were available. Would that include people looking for roommates? Parents renting rooms to returning children? Again, a policy that would be doomed to fail.

These proposals are just the tip of a very large iceberg that is creeping into our hometown. I feel like Big Brother has come to town and will be watching me next. Remember, Nazi Germany began in a similar manner.

Penny Halpern

Herndon