Debate continues over police issue

This is in response to Mayor Mueller's letter of Feb. 20 concerning my views on Hainesville's decision to create its own police department.

As one of my former trustees during my mayoral administration, Mr. Mueller should know that when I expressed an opinion or made a decision that would affect the residents of this village, it was based on careful study and due diligence. I find it incredulous that after several years of serving together as village officials, Mr. Mueller would imply that I would base my opinions solely on the word of a few residents and newspaper articles. Naysayers shoot from the hip. I don't!

Though I don't attend as many meetings as I would like to, that does not prevent me from being very well informed about key issues. Evidently the current mayor is not aware of this fact.

In addition to reading the published minutes of each board meeting, I have also invested a great amount of time speaking with many well-informed residents, and many of the former and current village trustees. During the recent election, I had most of the trustee candidates knock on my door to discuss these same issues and concerns. I've even had numerous one-on-one conversations with Mayor Mueller himself. In fact, during one of those conversations with the mayor, I made it very clear to him that the timetable he promised the residents to have a police department established was not realistic.

The mayor's original timetable was extended to Feb. 6 and it was on this date that he promised he would have the police department up and running. Because this promise was not fulfilled, we are currently being provided our police services by the Lake County Sheriff's Department for the next three months without the critically important residential patrol that our community expects.

In my letter to the editor, I stated that the "majority" of the police would be part time not "exclusively", as he stated in his letter.

I had a chance to meet and speak with Chief Roth, and I think he will be a good addition to the department and I support him 100 percent. He will have his work cut out for him and I wish him well.

Like many residents, including many that are law enforcement professionals themselves, I wonder where we will be when the honeymoon is over.

Linda Soto

former trustee,

former mayor

Village of Hainesville