LETTER: Misrepresenting Smart Growth supervisors

The baseless claims that Hellam Township Smart Growth candidates are anti-farming are offensive to me as a farmer. Current Smart Growth supervisors helped start the Horn Farm Center, saving it from commercial development a dozen years ago, and I have personally witnessed how several have given countless volunteer hours to the cause of growing new farmers.

I am disappointed at the way in which Hellam Township supervisors have also been misrepresented as opposing the Perdue soybean plant, simply for holding it accountable for pollution control. The truth is that the township actually supports the plant, and Perdue has fought to avoid its responsibility to build a low-emissions plant.

While I understand the annoyance of some at Hellam Township's determination to get Perdue to give us clean air along with it's proposed soybean crushing plant, I find it short-sighted. Anyone who has suffered from a serious health concern knows that health is far more valuable than profit, and profit can disappear quickly in paying for treatment of poor health.

Please consider voting for Martin, Wolf and Sprenkle on Nov. 3. They are fiscally conservative, conservation-minded visionaries.

DAVID T. DIETZ

Hellam Twp.