All of them, those in power, and those who want the power, would pamper us, if we agreed to overlook their crookedness by wilfully restricting our activities.
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I am responding to the article "Scientology may make West Tampa home" by Shannon Behnken of the Tampa Tribune and published April 25 in the Herald-Tribune.
I was interviewed by Ms. Behnken but her data is not entirely correct.
What I said was that if we moved into the area we would enjoy meeting the neighbors and helping them with their ventures.
We do pay taxes on the Andres Diaz building, which we purchased in October. We have honored the leases of our existing tenants.
Wherever the Church of Scientology goes, we do upgrade our properties, which increases the property values of the area and improves the safety of neighborhoods. We always work to preserve the heritage of the areas in which we are involved.
The Church of Scientology in Tampa has been a long-term member of the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce and has been acknowledged for assisting in city cleanups and visiting and helping the elderly. This is in addition to our own church activities of improving literacy, freeing people from the effects of drugs, medicine and alcohol, and making people more honest, confident, competent and happy.
We expect that we will be welcome in whatever neighborhood we expand into, and we are happy to be in Tampa.
Sheri Payson
The writer is executive director of the Church of Scientology of Tampa.