City Newspaper Archives - 6/2007
DEVELOPMENT: Rite Aid critics work for a better city
Published on Jun 12, 2007
In regard to Tim Macaluso's recent article, "Rite Aid's on Hold," I offer two quick points of clarification for City's readers:
My husband and I were "urban by choice" and loved every one of the 20 years we lived in our Monroe Avenue neighborhood, within walking distance of the cultural attractions and amenities that make city living worthwhile. Our recent decision to sell our home on Cornell Street was driven by a change in our personal circumstances, and had nothing whatsoever to do with recent developments (or lack thereof) on Monroe Avenue.
Further, if I must be labeled, I would prefer "neighborhood advocate" to Macaluso's "neighborhood critic." I served for many years as president of our neighborhood association, and served on Mayor Johnson's Task Force against Violence. And, despite my move from the city, I continue to volunteer as a board member of SEAD and as a member of the Monroe Avenue Task Force. I am deeply committed to the City of Rochester, and will continue to contribute what I can to making and keeping it a safe and enriching environment for all.
My years of work as an advocate for responsible and creative Monroe Avenue development have convinced me that abandoning an existing Rite Aid store only to replace it with another will not benefit the neighbors, the neighborhood, or the city. Surely, we can do better than that!
Vicki Ryder, Hillsboro Cove, Webster
Editor's note: Use of the phrase "neighborhood critic" was a poor choice of words, as Ryder points out. It was an error made during editing, for which we apologize.
