To the Editor:

"Mom, why do we need to listen to that man and trick-or-treat tonight, when Halloween is really tomorrow? Can't we just go then? This is the question from a five-year-old the morning of Thursday, October 30. Try to explain the reasoning of moving trick-or-treat to a different night to your child, when as an adult you don't believe it was necessary to begin with. This is how my morning started October 30.

I am amazed how city officials can have such an impact on the community, by acting on a request from one person. Their positions are to represent the whole community, which they obviously did not take into consideration in making this decision. The reasoning for the change was owing to the football game scheduled for that night, and did not want a child to be hurt during the mayor's term in office. The deciding factor was for safety reasons only, he told me.

In my opinion, he is implying Bark River fans must not be able to drive very careful, as they would be the ones to hurt a child. Mayor Paul Grondin has lived in St. Ignace for the past 20 years. During this time, there have been no injuries owing to a car accident, nor has the event ever been changed from the real holiday evening. Mayor Grondin stated he would feel responsible for any injuries that may take place that night, with the increase in traffic. There are more streets in the city limits than the ones located by the football field that people live on, where residents do go trick-or-treating. He must not have faith in the parents being responsible for their own children, or Bark River fans being responsible drivers. Now as I see it, any time there is an accident in the city limits, it is the mayor's responsibility.

To make matters worse, once the decision was made to change the night for the children, why have it on Thursday instead of Saturday. Let us review the events that were scheduled for Thursday night: 7th and 8th grade basketball games, volleyball game, ice skating Halloween party at Little Bear East, and probably more that I am not aware of. Then there were events that were scheduled for Friday for Halloween, which had to rearranged to Thursday. The only thing scheduled for Saturday was the Catholic chili dinner. Makes perfect sense to me to change the night from a weekend night to a school night, with many events already scheduled for the children, which could not be rescheduled, when Saturday night, a weekend night, did not have near the events scheduled.

When residents contacted City Hall regarding this change, they were told Thursday night's weather was better than Saturday, and that is why it wasn't changed to Saturday. City employees also stated if city residents don't like the decision, Mackinaw City was holding their trick-or-treat Friday, as planned, and maybe we should go there. Nice response from city employees.

An elected official should be looking out for the best interest of the community, not one person. It takes the community to elect one person into office, expecting him/her to listen and represent what they want. When the mayor's term is up for re-election, you can guarantee he will be campaigning for the community to elect him into office again. Remember how easily he was influenced by one person to change a community event. Maybe we could submit our requests to change other holidays, as in having Santa come to town in July, so we don't have to stand outside in the cold during December, having Thanksgiving on Friday every year, so we can have a three-day weekend, the Fourth of July on the third next year, for a three-day weekend. These are some of my requests which will benefit me, as I am sure this was what happened for the one person who requested to change trick-or-treat. Sandy Huskey St. Ignace