Dear editor,

I was interested in Mr. Crenshaw’s response to the ordinance regarding the parking of cars on sidewalks and in yards.

With regard to this matter, I wonder if it is not pure laziness when people park their cars as close to the front steps as possible to avoid walking the more steps to the driveway or to the curb. In most cases, sidewalks were paid for by taxpayers (all — not just an elitist few) and these sidewalks were constructed to support the weight of people — not cars — whether parking on or crossing.

I wonder if those people who do not understand that parking cars on sidewalks or in yards is unsightly and could be the same folks who throw trash all over God’s creation. I wonder, also, if they are the folks who want Selma to stay as it is — the “Big Fish in a Little Pond” syndrome. Definitely people who would want to move to our town or to spend their money to invest in the town and community are impressed by the lack of pride in appearance.

Another aspect of this is that many, many towns and cities in more progressive areas of the country have been enforcing such ordinances for years. So, Mr. Crenshaw, if you want to hire a good lawyer and pursue the repeal of such an ordinance, I hope you are “well-heeled” because the implication is that you will have to prove that a great number of municipalities are elitist.

One of the definitions of “democracy” is “rule by the majority.” There fore, what a few see as elitism doesn’t really make sense if many don’t agree.

P.S. Regarding your opinion that The Selma Times-Journal attempts to sway public opinion against Councilwoman Crenshaw, my opinion is that she has quite effectively done that herself.

Cecil Gayle

Selma