Letters: Kudos to mayor, city for stepping up on crisis center
Thank you, Mayor James Mueller and the city of South Bend, for stepping up to fund the crisis response center after the St. Joseph County Commissioners dismissed the good work of a broad coalition of knowledgeable and dedicated community leaders.
The Commissioners’ governance style illustrates the plight of many Republican officeholders. Trumpism crippled America for four years by pushing the GOP further and further out of touch with the priorities of most Americans, promoting divisive rhetoric over responsible governance. Although Trump’s popularity is waning, Trumpist GOP party leaders and donors continue to pressure the candidates they’ve supported into advancing policies and legislation that exacerbate rather than alleviate social and economic problems.
But the St. Joseph County Commissioners can still choose to resist imitating the combative and obstructionist governance style now roiling the GOP, and choose instead to work respectfully with our community on solving the real problems that equally affect us all, regardless of political affiliation. St. Joe County needs bipartisan collaboration on positive initiatives that promote the common good, including the crisis response center. Commissioners, please work with the County Council on re-appropriating and reapproving the funds that the St. Joseph County Council committed to this project last year!
Laura Haigwood
South Bend
Crisis center
It didn’t take long for the Republican St. Joseph County Commissioners to put their negative stamp on local government by tabling a funding agreement for a long-discussed and sorely needed behavioral crisis center.
Kudos to South Bend Mayor James Mueller stepping up with his announcement that South Bend will provide the funds. Another clear difference between the NO leadership of the Republican Commissioners and South Bend’s positive Democratic leadership.
Roger Parent
Former South Bend Mayor
South Bend
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Letters on city of South Bend funding crisis center
