To the editor:

You can tell it is an election year. A local government that has been characterized as aloof and out of touch with the citizenry has suddenly become responsive to those citizens.

The City Council that can normally be counted on to rubber-stamp the decisions of the city manager is now supporting the interests of the folks in Holland. Is it just coincidence that Jeff Gardy is up for reelection this year?

You can tell it is an election year. The city is constantly reminding everyone who will listen that it has a AAA bond rating. Never mind that the city’s plan to address its ever-increasing debt is to borrow even more money. City Council members should run for Congress, they would be right at home there.

You can tell it is an election year. Last year, you could go on the city of Suffolk website and review city budgets for the past five years. Now you can see only the current year. What you do not know cannot hurt them.

You can tell it is an election year. The city has started inundating us with messages about how great it is to live in Suffolk. Don’t expect to be reminded that the property tax rates were increased, that school funding has decreased, that water and utility fees have increased dramatically, and that City Council sneaked a 17-percent pay raise for the city manager into its spending plan just after she told us the budget was too tight for raises.

It’s pretty obvious that year was not an election year.

Chris Dove

Suffolk