Pelletier the right man for the job

I want to address the outrageous statements made by Toby Fisch in his Sept. 16 letter. In more than a quarter-century with the Linn County Recorder's Office, it seems that Joan McCalmant (the incumbent) has done nothing to improve service or even expedite response in the office. Like many, I have stood in line to get documents, waiting for one staff person to serve an entire line of residents, while other employees sat behind their desks, doing nothing to help.

I wish I could say this has happened to me only once but, sadly, no. This is hardly the “efficient, dedicated, service- oriented staff” Fisch claims.

Paul Pelletier, the challenger in this year's election for the office, has a simple plan with us, the people, in mind: Eliminate the Recorder's Office. This action would both eliminate the mediocre bureaucracy mentioned above and save county taxpayers more than $1.3 million a year.

Also, to correct Fisch, the Auditor's Office determines tax liability on parcels of land and real estate; such requires the auditor to have the record of deeds and transactions - a job the Recorder's Office reportedly does. The same is true for licenses already sold at the Treasurer's Office and documents recorded already by the state. Obviously, all this is duplication of service, unneeded, and why other counties in Iowa already have shut down their office of recorder.

Vote for Pelletier.

Louis Van Marm

Cedar Rapids