Dissolution: we're all talking about it. Let's think about what it might mean to Brockport; specifically, what it would mean to the people who live here. I believe the core group of people pushing for this are the same people who've been working to control Brockport for many years.

Consider what dissolution would mean to a few landlords. Brockport is their "cash cow." For decades, homes have been turned into money-making machines, giving a few people many profits with little risk. Now that the village is flooded with rentals and college students have other options, what's a landlord to do?

The demise of the village will almost certainly make it easier for landlords to free themselves from zoning, occupancy, code enforcement, and parking restrictions. No more limits on paved yards, the number of people crammed into rentals, or the conditions of the properties themselves. Is there any argument that while Brockport has many nice rentals, it also has more in terrible condition - properties that degrade their neighborhoods, encourage family flight, and force the rest of us to shoulder their decreased tax payments?

Our police department would cease to exist if dissolution became a reality. Nobody, for any price, could take the place of our police force. They maintain a quality of life we must have to survive as a livable community. Disruptive parties, fights, public intoxication, drug activities, and such are dealt with by our police force as priorities, not something at the bottom of a "to do" list. I speak from experience, having lived next to a "party house" for years.

We need our police force. Less than a dollar a day is a small price to pay for what we receive in police services.

Dissolution isn't a solution. Our debts won't go away. Our need for services won't go away. Crime won't go away. What we need is a more affordable, financially sound village, which is what a majority of our elected Board of Trustees is working on right now. They're committed to real solutions and necessary changes. Budget cuts have already been made. Trustees Hunsinger, Legg, and Blair are donating their salaries back to the village. Do you think Sweden officials will work long hours without pay to solve our problems and serve our best interests?

I believe we can and will solve our own problems, chart our own future, and improve our village, unless a small group of single-minded people succeed in wiping Brockport off the map forever.

CAROL HANNAN, BROCKPORT