Editor, Gazette-Journal:

Forty years ago, the appeal of living in Gloucester, to the middle-income family, was affordability, the people, schools, safety, pride and cleanliness.

Today, when entering Gloucester, the highways are full of litter; the storefronts and grounds are littered with trash, and Route 17 has become a racetrack littered with memorial markers.

The cause and effect of recent housing assessments have many residents traveling across the bridge to earn a decent wage to support the substantial increase in their mortgage payments. This is a real problem with most middle-income households. What is the incentive to stay in Gloucester?

There is always talk about needing more affordable housing, but affordable or subsidized housing is not guaranteed to just local citizens. Something has to change for the middle-income families unless you want Gloucester to become the next low-income housing hub.

It seems like Gloucester is always playing catch up with finances. The many parks we have are nice, but neglected due to the costs to maintain. We have an aging water system that is struggling to keep up with current demands, let alone new developments. There is consideration of a Data Facility that other localities have overwhelmingly rejected.

The county is so focused on spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on walking/bicycle paths that frankly would support a small fraction of the population. The taxpayers are supporting over $4 million to fund a full-service jail to house 30 inmates.

Has the county considered outsourcing services to support small businesses and reduce debt associated with hiring new employees? If the citizens want change, you must talk to your board members.

I truly hope the shift in our government has a positive outcome for everyone who calls Gloucester home.

Terri Malonson
Gloucester, Va.