Letters to the Editor — Willie Mays, Gateway pastor, trash pickup in Dallas

Mays a Giant among players

Re: “A true legend of the game — Giants center fielder inspired generations of baseball players and fans,” Wednesday news obituary.

Willie Mays, along with Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals, two of the greatest Major League Baseball players ever, often murdered the Brooklyn Dodgers. But whenever they played in Ebbets Field, they always received standing ovations.

I attended a game in Brooklyn where Mays hit three home runs, each farther than the previous one. The third one went deep into the center field stands. One can only guess how far it would have gone if the stands were slightly lower.

The great announcer Vin Scully said the catch Mays made in center field against the Dodgers in Ebbets Field was one of the greatest plays he ever witnessed in his many years of broadcasting.

On top of all his accomplishments on the field, frequently after day games at home, Mays would play stick ball in Harlem with neighborhood kids. Say hey!

Jerry Frankel, Plano

Pastor should redress wrongs

Re: “Pastor quits amid sexual abuse claim — Woman’s allegations span ‘80s period from when she was 12 to 16,” Wednesday news story.

Robert Morris was married and a pastor at the time the alleged sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl took place. And this was said to have continued over a period of four years. We live in a day and age when it seems that all one has to do is “repent” of a crime and you’re good to go.

Morris is accused of stealing the innocence of a young girl in order to satisfy his own sexual pleasure. Has anyone asked how this affected the life of Cindy Clemishire? Genuine repentance leads to a desire to redress wrongs.

When someone becomes a Christian, he should have a desire born out of deep conviction to do good, and that includes making restitution whenever possible.

Will Morris walk away from this scandal holding onto his fortune, his pastorate, his fame and his good name, or will he demonstrate that his repentance is genuine? Only time will tell.

Jean McNeal, Dallas

Disturbing news

Reading about allegations against Robert Morris was truly disturbing. I have friends and family members who refuse all religious affiliation and avoid all politics and voting. They believe both churches and politics are overrun with corruption. This news does appear to support their point of view.

Thomas Kelly, Lantana

Where is city’s money going?

Re: “Council must get city manager hire right — How effectively (or not) Dallas runs hinges on this one person,” by Jennifer Staubach Gates, Sunday Opinion.

Dallas is now considering eliminating trash pickup from alleys due to a budget shortfall. In Gates’ op-ed, I learned that Dallas’ budget has increased by 62% in the past 10 years. Now, due to this out-of-control spending, we are poised to lose a service that the city has always been able to provide in the past.

This is an excellent opportunity for the council to take Gates’ advice to prioritize providing the basic services that have always been part of what Dallas offers its residents, and end the waste and luxury programs that we can no longer afford.

Stephen McKeown, Northwest Dallas

Keep alley trash pickup

Re: “Alley pickup may be trashed — City Council to hear briefing on idea to shift challenging garbage collections to curbside,” Tuesday Metro & Business story.

I understand that the city would like to make some changes to save money. It could have started with better investments for the Dallas Fire and Pension Fund or withholding the payoff to the former city manager.

The plan to eliminate alley pickup in parts of Dallas where it is currently available is a mistake. Correct me if I am wrong, but we do pay the city of Dallas for sanitation pickup. Doing away with alley pickup in Lake Highlands, where our alleys are wide enough to accommodate it, will create significant problems.

Our neighborhood will become a parking lot for trash cans, clogging streets and sidewalks. With 62 homes on my street, this will add 124 trash cans to our sidewalks, creating an eyesore and a safety issue. Our houses do not have garages and driveways in the front like those in Houston and San Antonio.

The added trash cans will obstruct walkways, making it difficult for pedestrians, including children and the elderly, to navigate safely. This change will not only degrade the appearance of our neighborhood but also pose hazards that could be easily avoided by maintaining the existing alley pickup system.

John Astin Gardere, Dallas/Lake Highlands

Dallas no longer a clean city

In my travels to various European cities, I have always been impressed by how free most of them are of litter and trash. Dallas was once such a city. No more. The homeless population is partly the blame, with all the trash and junk they create, but that is not the only factor. I frequently see trash blowing out of pickups and trash trucks and I also see car parts and other debris that never gets collected.

As I look around our streets and highways there is trash that has not been cleaned up for months. The litter along our highways is an embarrassment and shows lack of pride in our city.

I’m aware of the cost to resolve this issue, but our citizens deserve better. I would hope our city leaders make this a priority in the very near future. A local program that would call attention to this, such as “Don’t Mess With Texas,” might be coined for our city. This blight cannot be ignored.

Kenneth N. Lott, Dallas

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