East Prairie mayor praises Rep. Emerson

To the Editor:

As your readers may have seen in the news, our area of the State experienced a manmade disaster last year that disrupted lives, destroyed private property and wrecked public infrastructure. There have been attempts by some in the political arena to use "our disaster" to their own benefit and to promote their own political agenda. There is no need to mention their name. I want to tell your readers that there is one public servant that stood up and made us all proud that she is "our" representative. Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson was here, speaking out for us, listening and forwarding our concerns, from the first moment that it appeared the unthinkable might happen. For weeks she had been here, before, during and after the tragic event, talking with local leaders and land owners, and fighting with us against the Corps of Engineers. She didn't just do flyovers or driving tours, she was on the ground, in a boat, and came back time and again. She walked by our side during these difficult times and she is still walking with us today. She has insisted the Corps of Engineers rebuild our levees and our lives. Jo Ann has done an outstanding job in supporting all our efforts and has not called a press conference every time she was here working on our behalf, just to promote her own political future to the press, like some. Congresswoman Emerson and her staff have gone about their work in helping us face these challenges in a humble, serving way and have done an unbelievable job under difficult circumstances. Anyone who says otherwise is either misinformed or is simply choosing to ignore the truth.

Kevin P. Mainord

Mayor

East Prairie, Mo.