Clarke, Michael

Persuasive Letter to Congressman McKeon
by Michael Clarke

Grade 12
Prompt Code: P12C
IST: Gayoshi Rodrigo
Evaluator: Heather
(read the Evaluator's comment and Connections)

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Michael Clarke
555 Street Address
Valencia, CA 91355

September 10, 2006

Congressman Howard P. “Buck” McKeon
26650 The Old Road
Suite 203
Santa Clarita, CA 91381

Dear Mr. McKeon:

            My name is Michael Clarke and I live in the city of Valencia, CA. I have lived here for the past fifteen years and have watched this city grow from a small community into a great metropolis. New housing developments and a master planned philosophy have created a comfortable and safe living environment. Due to your assistance in obtaining the necessary funding, the city’s infrastructure has also been updated in order to accommodate the growth of the city. However, there is one area that I feel needs improvement and should be done as soon as possible. This would be a landscape project for the I-5 corridor that runs between the Cal Grove exit and the I-5 and 126 interchange. This area has been neglected for quite some time and needs to be updated considering the traffic density and use that it gets throughout the year. The I-5 is most likely one of the heaviest traveled freeways in the nation and accommodates commuters from all over the Santa Clarita Valley. This throughway serves visitors coming to the Magic Mountain Theme Park and travelers from the south to the north side of the state.
            A major concern of mine is that this corridor does not portray the landscape and high quality of life that the city has developed, nor does it help attract potential businesses and retailers that residents would prefer. For example, the Valencia Town Center is planning a redevelopment project to attract many high-end retailers and provide residents with a greater selection. However, when these retailers visit the area, an impression is received that hinders their desire to open a store in this city and provide the necessary services and products that residents would like to take advantage of. When analyzing many other upscale cities throughout the Southland, it is easy to see that the money they have invested on the outside has helped attract high-end retailers on the inside. I am asking for your help in obtaining funding from multiple resources such as the federal, state, county, and local governments. I would like to work with a landscape architect and Caltrans to create a design for this area to include pines, oaks, sycamores, various shrubs, and groundcovers in order to provide a green and decorative atmosphere. Sound barriers should also be constructed in certain areas like those constructed on the 101 freeway, as well as a pavement re-stripe of the existing surface freeway.
            The first step to this project would be to talk with local landscape companies in order to develop a design and determine the costs for such a development. One possible idea to help lower costs would be to divide this project into four parts and have a different landscape company do each part according to their design ideas and plan in accordance with Caltrans’ guidelines. Then once the project is completed, a reward could be given to the company with the best design, efficiency, and overall quality. Another idea would be to advertise all of the companies involved in the project. Once this is done, Caltrans would look over the plans and make any changes they feel are necessary based on their research and knowledge in this field.
            Once approved and costs determined, I would like to have you lobby for the funding necessary to complete this project. I understand that this would be a challenging task since it is a multi-million dollar project and requires much cooperation from the different levels of government; however, I do not feel that it is impossible. I would also like to encourage some funding from private enterprises such as Magic Mountain and Newhall Land since this project greatly improves their businesses.
            I would like to thank you for all of the work that you have done throughout the city thus far. I would also like to thank you in advance for the effort that you can put forth to get this project started. I firmly believe that with your help, and the cooperation among the different governments and agencies involved in this project, we will succeed not only in improving the environment, but also in creating a more attractive throughway for local residents. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
Michael Clarke

Writing Program Evaluator Heather comments:

Michael’s essay is an exemplary piece of persuasive writing. Not only is the style of writing straightforward and sophisticated, but the tone is both respectful and authoritative. The ideas are well-articulated and supported with specific pieces of relevant evidence. In the first paragraph, Michael explains who he is and why he has authority to speak about the subject he has chosen, which makes him a credible source. Throughout the essay, he elaborates about what changes he would like to see—offering such specifics as the kinds of trees he thinks should be planted along the corridor—and gives suggestions about how the changes might be implemented. By anticipating concerns that his audience might have—such as the cost of the project—and providing advice for how to tackle these issues, he makes his ideas seem plausible. Finally, Michael concludes by thanking the congressman for the work that he has already done, which finishes the essay in a positive, hopeful manner—one that is likely to achieve his desired results.

Connections:

*To read another example of a persuasive letter which posits solutions for a public issue, read Jordan Walton's Letter to the Editor in Illuminations, the 2005-2006 Gorman Anthology.

*Michael's letter is a great example of writing in the persuasive mode. To read more about what persuasion entails, peruse the discussion of persuasion in the Modes section of the Student Guidelines.

*In his letter, Michael makes specific suggestions of how to improve the I-5 corridor. Research how other communities have addressed improvement of public spaces. (For example, research landscape reclamation or public art projects.)

*Consider public spaces in your community (the public spaces could be places where people gather such as parks, or they could be places that have high visibility such as highway corridors like the one Michael discusses in his letter). What do those public spaces say about the community? Are there any that you would like to see changed or improved?