To the editor: In the "Our Thoughts" section of today's edition of The Covington News, the headline read "Vampires are OK." To quote The Covington News, "filming of the Diaries has brought millions of dollars in real revenue in the form of taxes and support of local merchants" to Covington and Newton County. Where exactly is this revenue that you speak of? While I am sure a few businesses have profited from the filming, to imply that "millions" have been injected into the local economy seems a vast stretch. I would love to see a breakdown of the so-called millions of dollars that has been spent in our community. My office is on the square and I simply don't see the millions of dollars that you speak of flowing into the local economy. What I do see is the businesses on the square having to deal with constant inconveniences during filming that effect us, our customers and our clients.

When filming first began two or three years ago, the "movie people" were very accommodating and tried to film mostly at night. During initial filming sessions, the negative impact on our business was minimal. However, now that the show is a hit, the show's acclaim seems to have given many of the movie people a sense of entitlement that they can do whatever they wish. Why must they film during the workday/workweek? Why can't they film in the evenings and/or on weekends to minimize the negative impact on local businesses? While I am not against filming in principle, it seems we are bending over backwards to accommodate these people. Just remember, local businesses are the backbone of this community. Long after filming has ceased and the movie people have returned to California (or wherever they came from), we'll still be here. That said, shouldn't they be the ones working around our schedule rather than the other way around?

Sincerely,
Dave Larimer
Carter & Associates, PC
Certified Public
Accountants

Editor's note: We agree with Mr. Larimer's point that Newton County likely does not receive millions of dollar in revenue from "The Vampire Diaries." The state as a whole receives significent revenue as filming takes place throughout Atlanta and the surrounding areas. Nonetheless, we believe Newton County certainly benefits from the show's presence, particularly from tourism revenue.