Dear Editor:

I’m not going to go into a tirade about how Downey has changed. No one wants to hear that. What I want to hear about is how we can improve our beautiful city. Yes, beautiful! 

I’ve lived here since 1989. My family shops here. We worship here. My husband and I chose to raise our daughter here. She very much enjoys the parks here. What I don’t want to see is a Wal-Mart here. 

I know we have the supermarket already, and frankly, that is where the buck should stop. How is Downey going to get better with a Wal-Mart? 

My family owned businesses, so I know it’s all about money, but is money worth the deterioration of our city? Who approved Wal-Mart? I don’t recall a vote on it. 

Come on, city officials, you can do better than Wal-Mart. 

Margaret Vargas-Pandy
Downey