Editor:

I, too, have known Mayor Joe Johnson for years and council member John Marcus Knight for several years. Unlike JoAnn Hamilton, (“Bountiful needs man like Novak”), I commend Mayor Johnson and our city council members, and City Manager Hardy for their leadership and foresight. This includes our past Bountiful city officials. We have been well served.

I am sorry JoAnn Hamilton has had beer cans dumped in her yard. That’s inexcusable, but I hope her grandchildren who did the picking up learned that littering is offensive no matter where the litter is deposited. Let's all participate in cleaning up litter, daily.

Bountiful is fortunate to have El Matador Restaurant as a business within our city. I believe the condemnation efforts many years ago which forced El Matador to leave West Bountiful were inappropriate. Wisely, Bountiful made efforts to have the restaurant built in our city. I do not know what incentives were offered to El Matador to come to Bountiful, if any, but as co-chair of Utah's Economic Development and Revenue Sub-Appropriations Committee, I know that economic development incentives are common.

I also know that variances to ordinances are common. Yes, a variance was given to El Matador Restaurant so it could serve beer even though the restaurant is slightly closer to a library than is allowed without a variance. I have perceived no harm. I have perceived a thriving business providing quality food, employing people, and paying taxes which helps all of us.

As a customer of El Matador and other fine restaurants in Bountiful, I have no objection to eating a meal with my Diet Coke while others, often my dinner partners, enjoy a beer or other alcoholic beverage with their meals.

I have found restaurants to be very responsible in the amount of alcoholic beverages they serve their customers.

Quality restaurants are an asset to communities. It's time for JoAnn Hamilton to end the war over the beer variance that was given to El Matador Restaurant.

Instead, patronize your favorite Bountiful restaurant and be thankful for businesses that are succeeding in this tough economy.

Rep. Sheryl Allen

Bountiful