To the editor:

According to The Daily Press, Isle of Wight supervisors Tom Wright and Stan Clark have championed forward-thinking, bold moves to lure major industries to bolster the tax base, create jobs and make up for the loss of tax revenues.

The paper lists the Norfolk water deal, the purchase of pre-zoned land, the purchase of a new middle school, and securing Green Mountain Coffee as the first examples of many such bold moves to come.

Their 800 average $40,000-per-year jobs will bring $1.28 billion over 40 years to citizens, plus many indirect jobs. A second announcement is expected in December of a larger water user.

Citizens must recognize that if negotiations of limited resource deals like water are made public, it alerts other localities that may bid up the price of such an essential underpinning to industries. Newport News fought for years to secure water from the Prince William Reservoir and failed.

Water deal opponents Darden, Baily and Casteen are playing with fire in hoping to reverse the Norfolk deal. A vote for Wright, Clark and Rideout and Gregory will assure savvy business sense concerning revenue for citizens.

Sharon Hart

Carrollton