Since Deb Polzin carefully edited my e-mail response to her for her July 1 letter, I would appreciate the opportunity to share my full e-mail to her with readers.

On June 18 in The Pantagraph, I stated that it would be difficult to find an alderman, including myself, who was happy with the operating loss of the Coliseum.

On June 18, Ms. Polzin e-mailed me about my comments and called for an audit of Central Illinois Arena Management - which is already under way.

On June 19, I e-mailed Ms. Polzin this response: "I will approach this issue by working productively with willing members of council, staff, and the community to begin a course of action to treat the coliseum as a community asset not a community liability. I believe this approach will result in success for our community and the facility much more quickly and positively than the alternative. This will involve behaviors including audits, etc., but more importantly, suggests a shift in how we develop shared responsibility for a positive city image and the productive dialogue that surrounds our community assets. Thanks for asking."

I appreciate the Editorial Board's comments, "Don't overlook bright spots in Coliseum report" on June 28 and agree that the "city needs to find ways to improve the performance of the Coliseum" but that the "Coliseum plays a role in the city's overall quality."

As an alderman, I will protect both taxpayers and community assets with a fair and positive approach.

Jennifer McDade

Bloomington