Utilities changes are an outrage

Is anyone else upset at the actions of city utilities to monitor and control our usage? Beginning next month, we will be penalized with higher rates during the period of the day when we are most likely to need to use our utilities!

They are also installing fiber optics in our neighborhoods that will allow them to monitor and control our usage. I think we need to express our outrage at these policies and bring the pressure to bear to prevent it.

Our rates will undoubtedly continue to increase to pay for this and even more when they close the Ray Nixon Power Plant.

That plant could be converted to burn coal cleanly and not be replaced. It truly is an outrage.

Gayle Felder

Colorado Springs

Some very important questions

This issue is not dead by any stretch of the imagination. I read the letter in today’s paper (Monday) by Carl Nehls. He appears to have the experience and knowledge to address this issue. He raises some very important questions the council needs to consider and answer.

If Natalie Lovell is such a qualified candidate, why did she renege on the commitment she made when she was hired to get the CPA license? And within only a few months when she had a full two years to fulfill the requirement? (Please don’t start with me about the CIA certification. That was her squirm.) Nehls states that a quarter of her staff left during that same time frame. If that’s true, why? The council should find out and if that’s true, it’s a mark on the negative side of her leadership. Or, possibly the choice made for her to be the new city auditor? He talks about an audit committee meeting in which she answered an audit question with an apparent guess which city finance who was there thoroughly corrected.

It’s pretty obvious that she has limited audit experience. That makes me wonder how she was selected over other candidates.

Who were they and what were their qualifications? Were they such poor candidates that they were even less qualified? That alone makes me think we should start over and cast a wider net, advertising the position more widely.

Surely there are other actually qualified candidates in this city.

I implore and demand, yes, demand that the council do what you were elected to do: protect and do what’s right for the city of Colorado Springs.

Billie Nigro

Colorado Springs

A look at the world

I’m sitting on my favorite perch, a white rocking chair on the front porch of our cabin in the mountains, taking in the gorgeous morning sky. I had a little conversation with God and thanked him for this beautiful world and this glorious morning at home.

Having just returned from Germany, where we were fortunate enough to watch over our grandchildren for the summer, it’s truly wonderful to be back in the United States and in Colorado on “my” mountaintop.

Spending the summer in Europe, caring for our grandchildren, provided a fascinating look at the world, the politics around the globe, the wars and the leaders calling the shots.

As I enjoyed the view from my rocking chair this morning, I shared with God my sorrow at the many people from every corner of the world who are screwing up His beautiful creation for all who live here.

While in Germany, we met a fascinating and brilliant young man, who provided transportation to us on a few occasions. His name is Arthur, and he has lived in Germany for many years, after being born and raised in Latvia. It was evident that he knew more about the politics in America, Russia, China, and India than most. He dug deep into the issues and spoke wisely and obviously informed on all sides.

Before we got out of his car at the airport in Frankfurt, he said with equal passion and exasperation, “At the end of the day, we are all walking under one sun and living on one planet. At the end of the day, we are all citizens of the earth.” God Bless you, Arthur, and thank you, God, for the mountains in Colorado and for blessing us with one end of summer stopover for the hummingbirds who soon will disappear.

Annie Valades

Cripple Creek

Moving, directing a mission

As I was reading, the Thursday newspaper, The Gazette’s Opinion, there were negative comments from: Trish Beyer, Andrew Lewis and David J. Baker on the moving of the Air Force Space Command from here in Colorado Springs, to Huntsville, Ala.

They are blaming President Donald Trump for this move, using various reasons: cost, mail-in voting ballots, etc. Some of them called Trump a draft dodger (So was, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton, just to name a few), vindictive person, etc. The only, positive comment was from Jeffery Chandler, he made the point of: Why the change is needed and how it is beneficial to all taxpayers?

My question is: “Why did Biden, during his presidency, did not make the “Space Command” home officially here in Colorado Springs? Since this town is somewhat losing its distinction as a conservative city to a growing population of: unfortunately-leftist/ progressive/Democrat voters — kind of like Denver and Boulder.

I can only say, “The commander in chief or any commander of any military unit, makes the decisions of moving and directing his/her unit in everyday missions as needed or required and beneficial to the outcome of the mission”.

Will Shipley

Peyton