The Observer Newspapers | Null Creates Problem That Doesn't Exist

Null Creates Problem That Doesn't Exist

To the editor:

Ann Null has never been one to let the facts get in the way of a good story. However, I cannot leave unanswered her contention in last week's paper that the Extended Stay America hotel on Elden Street is a "frequent crime scene" that is plagued with violence and drug abuse and that Herndon Middle School students are at risk because of their proximity to it.

Herndon Middle School is directly across the street from my home. The Extended Stay America is a half block away. I use the path that runs between the middle school athletic field and the hotel on a regular basis. I talk with Herndon police officers. I talk with staff members at the school. The fact is that Ms. Null's outlandish assertion is, at best, election season hyperbole.

We have enough real problems in Herndon today, not the least of which is the need to heal our badly divided community. Surely Ms. Null could find a more constructive—and more truthful—outlet for her considerable talents than fabricating tales about problems that do not exist.

Carol Bruce

Herndon

Editor's note: The writer is a former mayor and eight-term Town Council member.

April 17, 2008

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