HAYDEN: 'Yes' on safety levy

Each citizen of this wonderful United States of America has the opportunity to be free to choose. We are free to write, say or do, according to our opinions. When we meet established qualifications, we have the right to vote our conscience in a free election. I believe each of us holds those freedoms to be sacred, and worthy of our utmost protection. Hundreds of thousands of our citizens gave their lives to protect those freedoms and liberties.

We as a free people also uphold that we should never be taxed without representation. A city with a population of 15,000 in North Idaho will be able to vote on a levy to pay for additional law enforcement. A group of volunteer citizens came together to analyze data and to decide whether any additional deputies were needed. After months of work, this group voted unanimously to recommend that four additional deputies be hired by the county, and paid for by the city, so that citizens could have assigned officers 24 hours each day. The City Council received this recommendation and asked that specific information be gathered so that Hayden voters could act, through the voting process, on the Citizen Task Force’s recommendations.

Hayden voters will decide whether or not they support this recommendation. If 60% of voters feel that this levy is necessary and supports the levy through an affirmative vote at the polls, then this request for additional law enforcement will move forward.

As a citizen, father and grandfather of family who reside in Hayden, and to protect at a greater measure each of Hayden’s citizens, I want to publicly support and endorse this law enforcement levy. In my opinion, it is the correct path for the citizens of Hayden to follow.

STEVE GRIFFITTS

Hayden