Letter to the Editor

Welcome to Fairview Heights 2.0

A voter since 1988, I always believed my vote mattered, especially locally. That belief was shattered on July 17 thanks to our City Council and Mayor Herb Roach. Eleven members of our City Council have sent a clear message to all – “We don’t care about you. We will tell you that we listen and want the best for you, but in the end, we are owned by out-of-town developers. We will always bow to what they want rather than what you want. We will not respond to your calls or emails because you are not important enough. Our hearts are stone and our minds are closed. We turn our backs on you.”

They have a veneer of courtesy, but just below the surface is apathy, dismissiveness, and arrogance of the highest order.

One hundred percent of those who spoke out at each of the five public meetings (which were just for show, apparently) were vehemently against the monstrosity development that will butt up against our neighborhood on Pierce Boulevard.

We read from their own ordinances, their Master Plan 2040, demonstrated their faulty math motivations, and also schooled them on the history of that spot and previous council/mayoral precedents. They turned deaf ears to us.

The 11 that voted for it don’t care about making O’Fallon better; they care about making it bigger. Welcome to Fairview Heights 2.0, folks. Once they’re done stuffing South O’Fallon, the developers will set their eyes on North O’Fallon. Good luck trying to stop them. You don’t matter. Message received.

Cari Schaeffer, O’Fallon