When people don’t like what you are telling them, they often practice deflection to put the onus back on the other person. I had it used on me when I complained about speeding on my street. Ladehoff has attempted to use it on Mark Eaton and Gary Thompson.

They are the Common Sense Cabal. I will gladly join it as will many others.

I walked my dog this morning. Across the street is a recycling tub full of water bottles. It has been there since before the storm. On the south side is a car parked in the yard with a “For Sale” sign. There were two empty beer bottles — one smashed — at the corner.

I turned onto N. 9th Ave. On the corner with Jackson is a house with at least 12 bags of garbage on the back step. Down at their garage is a collection of empty oil bottles and drink bottles thrown on the ground. The next empty lot has a mattress laying there. The next house has two nasty black wet mattresses and a sofa in the front yard against the house. Across the street is a boarded up house with a truck and car on the grass next to it. The next empty lot is full of downed trees, limbs and brush — an eyesore and a fire hazard.

Many of us see that this is not clean or pretty. How about cleaning it up, enforcing city code and then proceeding with the “facelift?” All the flowers in the world and murals won’t clean up the neighborhoods, keep speeding cars under control or keep my teeth from rattling when

I hit the bumps on my street.

What common sense is there in greeting people coming into town from the west with the sight

and smell of garbage trucks? We need a department store. We would have a lot more option tax money instead of sending it to Ames, Ankeny or Des Moines.

I challenge Ladehoff and the entire city council to drive down Jackson Street (and around town) and actually LOOK.

They’ll understand why we’re tired of our tax dollars not improving our quality of life. Clean neighborhoods, slowing traffic and enforcing illegal parking codes improves our quality of life. We were told the city cares about every neighborhood.

Seems the CBD gets more than their share. Our tax dollars should be spent with our input.