To the Editor:

Once again, I cannot believe that the topic of the Franklin Municipal Airport for Navy pilot training is in the paper again (“Navy planes or tax hike?” April 15).

I thought this was voted on and over with.

This time, though, it seems like Mayor Jim Councill is giving everyone an ultimatum — either the Navy or a tax increase of 26 percent. This is the first time I heard of a tax increase because the Navy won’t be coming!

Trust me, for someone who has lived in Virginia Beach for 25 years and dealt with the noise of the jets, you do not want Navy planes here in this quiet, peaceful community. I moved to Franklin to get away from the traffic and noise.

It also means that I am not anti-military, as some might say. My son is a U.S. Marine, and I am proud that he is serving our country.

I have many military friends and thank them for their service, but it has nothing to do with being patriotic and love for this country and the military. The problem is the danger and the noise of having pilot training in our back yard.

I believe the City of Franklin would lose in the end because no businesses or families would want to come to our city with all that noise. The military is not offering us anything but the money.

They are not bringing families to our community; they are not bringing anyone to patronize our businesses here; they are not living here. The only thing they want from us is the use of our airport.

We need to put our city to work to get more businesses here and forget about the military. Come on, City Council, move on and start focusing on bringing some businesses here to help our economy grow.

God Bless America.

Mary Barraclough
Franklin