I would like to respond to a comment made by Dean Fisher in his Aug. 4 newsletter when he said “It’s time for local governments to practice fiscal responsibility.” I ask, is Mr. Fisher speaking about the county governments of Tama and Poweshiek? Is it the city councils of the small towns in this district? I can guarantee the city council of Toledo, on which I serve, makes fiscal responsibility a huge priority. I believe it is the same for all of our local councils. Perhaps we would be better served if Mr. Fisher made himself available to attend city council meetings to educate himself on the financial issues faced by our communities. He might have avoided such a foolish comment.

A rigid 2 percent cap is a state imposed limit and does not reflect inflation. When costs grow faster than the cap, cities are forced to reduce services or staffing or shift to debt to cover gaps. Cities cannot run deficits. Rising costs within a fixed cap force tradeoffs. Street repair and maintenance will suffer. Public safety and public works positions will remain unfilled. Library, parks and recreation services will be reduced. Smaller communities cannot “grow their way out” of rising costs brought on by inflation. Our small communities already operate on very lean budgets.

Mr. Fisher has not voted in the best interests of our district. He has not made himself available to answer questions or defend his positions in a public forum. He has forgotten he works for us, not the people in Des Moines who tell him how to vote. I wonder when Mr. Fisher voted for measures that harm our district, did he understand the ramifications, or did he simply not care? For these reasons, I am supporting Berleen Wobeter for Iowa House. I urge others to do so. It is time to have a representative that represents all of us!

Cathy Cook, Toledo City Councilwoman