Priorities for Public Money

I am a partially disabled person who is no longer supposed to drive a motor vehicle. As a result, I use public transportation, which is just fine--I don’t mind.

My usual travels are along Main Street in Ventura between Telephone Road and Oak Street, to the farmers market. When you are driving a small vehicle like a car you don’t feel how bad the street is. However, in the bus you’re bouncing, rocking and rolling from the pitted, grooved street. You don’t quite fall out of your seat but you get a sore butt.

According to the Ventura Vision study, repairing streets and sidewalks ranked right up there with police and fire services. OK, where’s the money?

Do we need to renovate malls and downtown theaters with public money instead of making life better for those of us who don’t need those facilities? Are tourists and shoppers more important than getting to the newly refurbished library, the downtown post office, the farmers market for healthy food?

According to SCAT (South Coast Area Transit), the city is responsible for cleaning up trash and cleaning the benches at bus stops. I never sit down because it’s always filthy. So what services are we paying for? I suggest the City Council members ride the bus for a week and then feel their butts.

JOZEF ZDZIENICKI

Ventura