Dear Fellow Carsonites:

As a resident of Carson, I'm embarrassed. When did the circus come to town?

Carson City Council has become a national laughingstock.

We should nominate Carson Commissioner Jan Schaeffer for an Oscar after her theatrical fall to the ground after being tapped on the head with a file by Vera Robles Dewitt.

And we should be appalled by the conduct of Mayor Jim Dear who fanned the flames of conflict when he claimed that Schaeffer had been hit in the eye, which was plainly not so.

Vera Dewitt must also take her share of the blame. What she did was deplorable and was the main cause of the farce that ensued. She had no right to touch Schaeffer in any way, and it is right that she has been charged with battery.

Carson politics has sunk to a new low, and there it was on national TV for the whole nation to watch.

What a mess.

Everyone can see that it is time for a change. It is time that Carson was known for starting positive initiatives, not for infantile squabbles.

Again and again, I have called for radical reform in the way the City does its business. Posting all Carson finances daily to the Internet is an essential first step toward the kind of open government we need.

Carson City Council has been known too long for all the wrong things. Financial corruption has tarnished the good name of the city for many years, and now we seem to be building a national reputation for divisiveness, acrimony, childishness, and a lack of leadership.

It's got to stop, before things get even worse.

Enough is enough.

City Council meetings should not resemble a Ringling Brothers show. Nor should they resemble theatrical performances. We do not need drama kings and queens as our representatives.

We need councilmembers who will do the people's business -- efficiently, fairly, and quietly.

I appeal to the residents of this city to make their disgust known at the City Council election on March 6, 2007, and use both your votes, vote for Lucille Mozena and Steve Mozena who are capable of restoring dignity and leadership to our city.

Sincerely,

Steve Mozena and Lucille Mozena "Two Mozenas are better than one!"