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I HAVE LIVED and worked in this community for almost three decades, with family roots going back to the turn of the century, and I believe with all my heart that there is no better place in America to live than right here in this area.
One of the main reasons for this is the people who reside here: Compassionate and caring, friendly and involved, the folks who call this area home are, in truth, its prime resource and strength.
Anything that threatens to sow discord or disharmony among us, therefore, concerns me, and should concern all of us who live in and love this community.
The continuing Mullins tract/Chancellorsville battlefield controversy is one such situation, with a growing abyss between the folks on both sides of the issue that is leading to increasingly vituperative attacks on each other's motives, honesty and personal integrity. Emotion seems to be overwhelming reason, and for the sake of fairness and the good of our community, a way to bridge our differences must be found.
One month ago I became president of Central Virginia Battlefields Trust, our local battlefield preservation organization, and I take the privilege of that platform to write this open letter to Mr. John Mullins and to our community.
If there have been miscommunications between us in the past, I ask for forgiveness and understanding. CVBT has always conducted its business with honesty and integrity and the highest ethical standards, and we will continue to do so. That is my pledge and my promise.
All along, what we of CVBT have wanted to do is to sit down with Mr. Mullins, face to face, and work together to find a win-win solution, to find a solution that is fair and just for all concerned and, most importantly, to find a solution that is good for this community which all of us live in and love.
All along, what we of CVBT have wanted was to find a way to save the 300 acres of his property which are most historic, to be given an opportunity to purchase that land at a price that is fair and reasonable for all concerned.
All along, what we of CVBT have wanted was for Mr. Mullins to understand and to appreciate that we have always been FOR something (i.e., preservation of land that is important to both our community and our country) and not AGAINST something (i.e., his right to develop his property).
So, as one honorable man to another, I most respectfully ask that Mr. Mullins consider sitting down with us in order to find a solution that will preclude what is shaping up to be a long, protracted, and expensive fight, a fight that will bring little honor to either side and that, much more importantly, will damage many of the things that make this community the uniquely special place it is.
To quote Virginia Burden, "Cooperation is the thorough conviction that nobody can get there unless everybody gets there." CVBT stands ready to cooperate, Mr. Mullins. Won't you join with us?
DR. MICHAEL STEVENS is a local dermatologist and president of the Central Virginia Battlefields Trust.