I am writing this letter on Election Day long before any results are known for the record. Negative has really been redefined in this campaign. It makes me sad.
Equally unfortunate is the notion that somehow if the mayor is re-elected we will not be going back to division within the community. Those seeds have already been sown. Wheels are already in motion without respect of the outcome on November 5, 2013 to have additional community impacts.
The notion that supporters of the Clayton Floyd campaign are a few loud negative citizens is insulting and disrespectful. Because their opinions differ from yours does not make them wrong.
I went door to door in this town to allow those who did not know me to get to know a candidate that would be on their ballot. I gave citizens an opportunity to ask the tough questions. I provided a perspective to their vital concerns. For those of you who took that opportunity to visit, I applaud you and commend your civic engagement. If I am successful in this campaign, I will take many of your suggestions and mold them into an action plan to solve your concerns. I will honor a commitment in my brochure to have regular meetings outside of Town Council and you can let me know if I am being successful in my efforts to solve these issues, because I would want to know.
The Bitterroot Star, in an editorial trying to make the point that I had misled some in saying the cost of the water project had doubled, quoted the number at $450,000 increased to $473,000. In a letter dated June 27, 2013 from United States Department of Agriculture – Rural Development, the Total Project was given as $4,688,500, up from $2,800,000. That increase did require the Town of Stevensville to amend their bond for the Water Improvement Project. It was in this context that I made my statements.
I tried to make the case that in following the plan handed to the Mayor and Town Council, they failed to consider options that would have helped. The well drilled at Twin Creeks subdivision pump tested at 1700 gallons per minute. Putting this well in production even at 800 gallons per minute would double our current capacity (the three existing wells average 400 gallons per minute), making it easier to keep the reservoir full. I made a recommendation to the Mayor and Town Council to build the pump house first before drilling the other three wells, so we could have some additional production from this existing well. Council ignored the suggestion and drilled three more wells that did not connect to anything, so there were four wells not producing water. In fairness the well house is being built now, but how many gallons that could have been produced that were not? How many months went by without any new production?
Some in the Town have shown positive character proving that all can be right. Pat Groninger called me to say, while we had our differences, he always understood my heart was in the right place for the Town of Stevensville (his words, not mine). Many citizens have said they really appreciated that I was willing to put myself and my family through this ordeal (and it has been an ordeal) for the betterment of Stevensville.
Clayton D. Floyd Jr.
Stevensville