Stop the Tower
Posted 3/30/01 Letter to the Editor Dear Sir, I am the president of the Tenleytown Neighbors Association, Inc. (TNA), a non-profit corporation with over 200 members who are residents of the Tenleytown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. I am responding to the article of March 18 by William Reed, president of the Business Exchange Network, on the American Tower controversy ("The hour of the tower"). Mr. Reed's article is highly misleading. First, Mr. Reed erroneously refers to a recent meeting with ANC members at the Tenleytown Library attended by representatives of American Tower. The meeting did not involve the ANC, as Mr. Reed stated; the meeting was the March 1 membership meeting of TNA. TNA invited the tower representatives so that TNA members could consider both sides of the issue, after a presentation by Tim Cooper of Stop the Tower Citizens' Coalition at a previous TNA meeting. Second, Mr. Reed claims that our group (or the ANC) is in favor of the tower, apparently because the members listened politely and asked questions in a civil tone. In fact, TNA never endorsed the tower project nor has it taken a position on the issue. Willingness to listen to a point of view is not the same as agreeing with that point of view. There are conflicting facts that have been advanced about the tower, and it seems to me that distortions of fact by those favoring the tower about the events at our meeting does nothing to advance their credibility. Finally, Mr. Reed implies that Mayor Williams and Mr. Cooper were afraid to attend the meeting. TNA members generally do not expect the Mayor to attend our monthly meetings. Mr. Cooper's previous attendance was as a guest speaker. He is not a member of TNA, but he is most welcome to join us. Very truly yours, Cheryl M. Browning, President
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