With regard to Mrs. Lafferty's letter in your February 5, 1999, edition, I feel that I must respond.

Mrs. Lafferty says that she has never heard anyone expound for hours to a captive audience. Well, maybe "hours" is an exaggeration. However. Mrs. Lafferty is continually permitted to state her views and ask her questions over, and over, and over again. Obviously, she also does this quite often in the local paper as well. The three-minute rule is rarely used. In fact, in my opinion, Mr. Schwartz has a tendency to bend over backwards to accommodate Mrs. Lafferty.

Mrs. Lafferty states that, "The public has a right to speak, to ask questions and to be treated with courtesy and respect at board meetings." I agree. However, I believe it's time for Mrs. Lafferty to treat the public and the board with the same courtesy and consideration that she expects. I wish that she would stop abusing the considerations that have been afforded to her and allow the board to get on with the many matters that they were elected to tend to.

Andrea Smith