Hesitancy About Gaining Cityhood

Re “Cityhood Is ’98 Goal for 4 Communities,” Dec. 29:

Leisure World cityhood petitioner Bob Ring overlooks and sidesteps why many of the people living in Leisure World, Laguna Hills, are so hesitant about cityhood.

During the past few years, millions of dollars, collected from our monthly fees, have been frittered away.

Land that we the people of Leisure World didn’t want to purchase was purchased for us, with our money, from Rossmoor Partners. On the same day that the escrow for this transaction was completed, another escrow was closed, which transferred the same property to another owner at a great financial loss to Leisure World.

Three and a half years ago, we, the residents of Leisure World, collected 4,000 signatures on a petition requesting a complete internal audit. We are still waiting.

Honest information has not been forthcoming on this issue. No honest figures as to the affordability of cityhood by this retirement community has been offered. Until this information is received, the people cannot give an intelligent response to the question.

We were never asked if we would be interested in being annexed to another community. Instead, we were just asked to reply “yes” or “no” to the question of cityhood.

PAULINE J. NIEBURG

Laguna Hills