Letters to the Editor: Kopp Needed More Support

Wisconsin State Journal :: OPINION :: A8 Saturday, March 19, 2005 Kopp Needed More Support I disagree with the letter printed Friday regarding Ken Kopp. He did not "fail" because he didn't maintain the store. He chose to retire from the business and close the store, and it was not due to any failure on his part. He told me he did not blame the people in the neighborhood, but the reality was that most residents go to the big chains to stock up on groceries and stop in at his store only to pick up small items. It was obvious to me he could not maintain a profit margin with competition like that and only infrequent purchases made by neighborhood residents. I support the use of TIF money to rebuild the site, not because of the grocery store, which will face the same conditions that Ken Kopp's did, but because the residents of that area have been paying high taxes for decades. Their taxes have been paying for projects all over the city, including many on the North Side. Isn't it reasonable that their taxes go to improve their own neighborhood for a change? - William Richardson, Madison