Editor,

My husband and I moved to Franklin two years ago from Portsmouth. When we heard about the USA Today ranking we were amazed and amused. The idea that Franklin is a worse place to live than Portsmouth (or Newport News, or Hampton?) is, to us, completely laughable. I promise that, the fact that Portsmouth has restaurants and stores and jobs meant nothing when I was lying awake at night listening to gun shots and worrying that another house in my neighborhood might be broken in to. We now commute an hour each day to our jobs for the privilege of living in a small (we think charming) community where we can rest easier. We are also actively encouraging other members of our family to relocate here as well.

Having said all of that, I was disturbed reading the letter from Captain Tim Whitt’s wife. I’m disappointed that the city would attempt to correct its budget by, potentially, compromising our safety.

Sure, it would be great to have another grocery store, or even a Starbucks, but the absence of those things doesn’t lead me to question our decision to move here. However, another uptick in shootings, like we saw after we first came here, could make me reconsider my efforts to bring other families to Franklin.

Rebecca Peters

Franklin