When I was a young man, my old man told me that there were at least two sides to a story: right/ wrong, left/right, light/dark, day/night, my football team and yours, even Republican and Democrat.

That is the beauty of our country – everyone should have the chance to state their own mind based on real facts, and then a reasonable and logical discussion can take place.

The same holds for cityhood. But when you have people against cityhood whose only position is to be oppositional, nasty and do name calling while spreading false information and constantly downgrading and bad mouthing decent people who have taken their time to improve the local community for years without looking for self-gain or attention, well that is not a discussion, that is just muckrakingly wrong, and does nothing to build community.

If you have an opinion, instead of attempting to ruin reputations, why not state some true facts in support of your position, or present a better scenario of the future?

First off, I am not nor have I ever been a member of the Incorporate Lake Gregory Committee. I do support the idea because of my experiences with the many community and county committees I have been on and my past business and family experiences, which I have written about in my editorials. I think it would be good for Crestline, so attacking me as the leader of the movement is off target. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, as am I.

I do not do Facebook; I am too busy working and volunteering, trying to make our community its best. I intend to retire soon and plan to spend my retirement years, as I did my early years, enjoying the beauty of Crestline. I am not seeking personal advancement. I do things to help the town, not for self-interest, and I applaud all the others who do so, too.

I am told several people are trying to downgrade other volunteers by spreading lies and falsehoods about their character and questioning their religious affiliations and motives. Those volunteers make Crestline a community that is attracting new residents, because they like what they see and experience here.

Some on Facebook said I want to get rich by building a pharmacy in competition with our current pharmacist. The truth is the Crestline pharmacist purchased a lot on Lake Drive to serve his customers in a better building. He hired me, with the proper permits from all agencies, including the EPA and AQMD, who were standing by when we removed and properly disposed of the tanks that had been under the former gas station site he had purchased.

No one has asked me about that job, or how it was done, which was all legally completed. But instead, some who were not even here at the time, have spread rumors based on false hearsay.

The Crestline pharmacist has his plans submitted with the county building department, where they have sat, while it seems the county focuses on larger projects, as those projects bring in more fees to the county, while timelines continue and cost him more in fees, which often happens with the smaller projects in this large county.

This has caused years of delays for this local businessman and discourages other businesses from wanting to grow as well, as they see the problems the county can give them. I hope all who want to open businesses in Crestline are successful.

I’ve been up here for 65 years and I’ve seen this town at its lowest and now in its upturn since folks are sprucing up and supporting value-added events like the Duck Derby, fireworks and festivals, all run by folks who are just volunteers not getting paid a dime for producing and working these activities. Yet these volunteers are the folks who are attacked by those negative folks who are doing nothing but be on their keyboards, trashing those who do donate to the community; like the Rotary Thanksgiving feast for the community; or who donate to clubs, sports and other groups that benefit kids in town.

I would hope that those who are against cityhood would instead look positively at those who were donating before this incorporation issue came up and continue to do so, to make this community better.

Those who are against it, some of whom are just mean, are inventing lies about the motives of volunteers, but apparently have no suggestions on what direction Crestline should be heading. Maybe they just want to get their name known; but being known for just saying no to any idea is not a good way to be known.

Look at other unincorporated communities in this county and how the county has treated them, and how the new community plan says it will be treating the unincorporated areas in the future. Look at Muscoy or Lucerne Valley, or show me one unincorporated area without a community service district that is better off than a city, since a city can control its destiny, otherwise we are at the mercy of this county. If it weren’t for our past and current volunteers, we’d be in similar situations.

The man on Facebook that I’ve heard about should get his facts correct and think about how and what he writes, as words have power and his non-truths are smearing good people, and his words may come back to bite him.
The fact that Lake Gregory was possibly going to be taken over by the Lake Arrowhead-focused Recreation and Park District was real and the Incorporate Lake Gregory Committee, if nothing else, stopped that from occurring, but those who do not know the inner workings ignore that fact.

And the dam was repaired by the county, as an indirect result of the committee. The committee should be congratulated for their actions.
Whether the town incorporates or not, the Incorporate Lake Gregory Committee has done a great service to Crestline. They should not be maligned and name-called by those who do nothing for this community and hide behind a keyboard, spreading negativity.

I am Mick Hill
and that is my opinion.