LAW OFFICE OF March 16, 2006 STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR BARNSLEY’S LIVING LANDMARKS BID Let me express my enthusiastic support for Barnsley’s Living Landmarks bid. I have had the great privilege of visiting Barnsley in the course of conducting a study of public schools in connection with the Open Society Institute, a private operating and grant-making foundation dedicated to shaping public policy to promote democratic governance, human rights, and economic, legal, and social reform. The citizens of Barnsley demonstrated the greatest degree of hospitality and openness in their dealings with me. In the course of hours upon hours of interviews, I was able to observe the wonderful commitment to the health and welfare of the Barnsley community that was shared by citizens from all walks of life. This is a community that will fully embrace and make the most of the restoration of Barnsley’s buildings, and in particular, the restoration of the Town Hall, which can catalyze a wave of needed restoration throughout the town center. As a lawyer, appointed judicial official in the federal courts, adjunct professor at Emory University, and most of all, someone who views herself as a citizen of the world, let me close by urging approval of Barnsley’s Living Landmark bid as one which is destined to contribute to this unique community’s long-term vitality. |