Document text
SUNNY Temp: 90 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Tuesday, July 29, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend June 26, 2003 Fluoride vote won’t be this year By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune It will be at least March 2004 before Medford voters consider an initiative to add fluoride to the Big Butte Springs Water system that serves the city and beyond. Organizers of the proposed measure have gathered only about a third of the 3,606 verified signatures needed to place the measure on a city ballot. That means they missed the June 20 deadline for the Nov. 4 general election. But backers of the plan say the slow going isn’t caused by lack of support for fluoridation. Advertisement "The interest is there, the need is definitely there," said Anne Denehy, a Medford dentist and member of a small group of professionals working on the issue. "But a lot of the people who come to Medford dentists’ offices aren’t from Medford." Organizers figure they need about 4,000 more signatures to ensure they’ll have enough to meet election requirements. So far, they’ve gathered signatures only through local medical offices. A more public appeal is being considered, Denehy said. "I’m getting very few people who are refusing to sign," she said. "It’s just we need people who live in Medford." Under the initiative, only Medford voters would decide whether to authorize the city’s Water Commission to add fluoride to the Big Butte Springs Water System. If approved, the plan would add fluoride at a rate of .7 parts per million to the system that serves 100,000 Jackson County customers, including 35,000 outside of Medford. In the 1950s and 1960s, Medford voters rejected fluoridation twice at the polls. Two more recent efforts, including a 1998 attempt, never made it to a vote. Proponents of fluoride, which include most mainstream medical and dental associations, argue that it is a safe, inexpensive, effective way to prevent painful and costly tooth decay, especially in children under age 6. Critics of ingested fluoride claim that its safety and efficacy is unproven by current medical and governmental studies and contend that medication shouldn’t be dispensed through the public water system. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times