Once again my attention has been drawn to comments concerning our city of Rome. It’s true, we lack a lot of things in this area, especially retail businesses.

At this point in time, I feel that our city leaders are not marketing this area as aggressively as they should. We need to attract whatever businesses we can and give them a tax break for at least a year so that they can get established. If we need to hire someone more knowledgable to market than let’s do it.

We have an ideal location for outlet stores, being that the casino is located within our backyard. Revenue would be generated from those who travel to this area.

Businesses already established here also need to review their prices, especially coffee shops and small restaurants. Some of these owners want to get rich overnight by charging $2 plus tax for a small beverage in comparison to food-chain businesses charging $ 1 plus tax.

Wake up! You’re driving your business into the ground. You must realize this is a retirement community and until things get turned around, be content with earning a living and surviving through tough times.

— Kathleen A. Murphy,
1404 Franklyn St.