January 7, 2009
Dear Mayor Iorio and City Councilpersons,
(Copied to Jim Beamguard, Tampa Tribune for publication)
I read in today's Tampa Tribune with great dismay that there is a push to increase alcohol sales areas at our Lowry Park Zoo.
For many years now, alcohol sales have been a part of Lowry Park zoo which is part of our city parks system where we have rules against alcohol use. Because we are a partnership, our city leaders buckled and allowed it. You have let the public down.
When adults use alcohol, we are saying with our actions to our children that it is okay to entertain ourselves with drugs (no one denies that alcohol is a drug) while we recreate in public.
So please, if you all do not have the guts to say no to alcohol, period, at our zoo, do not advocate for kids to be drug free.
Our actions teach them the opposite.
Please oppose the use of alcohol and its sale at our taxpayer supported zoo.
Thank you.