Embarrassed resident says “Vice Mayor Gone Wild!”
To the editor:
Give us your property rights or we’ll take them away, said Vice Mayor Herb Acken when speaking to the beach front owners. We need to use condemnation to get these easements if these beach front owners don’t voluntarily give them up. We were elected by the voters (all 24 percent of the total registered voters) to do beach re-nourishment and by hell or high water that’s what we’re going to do. There are homes and businesses falling in the gulf right now and businesses packing up and leaving our island because of this, said Herb.
If anyone saw the last council meeting then you may have been as horrified as I was to be a resident of this Island and having Herb as our Vice Mayor. These embarrassing statements and childish antics reminded me of a five- year old holding his breath and jumping up and down because he didn’t get his way. He even criticized the other council members for not taking his strong arming view point on the beach front owners and for not wanting to use eminent domain.
But the other council members wanted to come across more even handed by using deception over force. Mayor Larry Kiker said we should focus on the 40 biggest property owners to gather the most linear feet, and then we’ll have it… no need for the little property owners whose opinions won’t matter. It’s all about what we want as long as it appears above board.
I felt sorry for the many residents that came to the meeting to speak against this ill conceived destruction of our beach. LPA member Joanne Shamp read a brilliantly composed, fact based letter supported by experts on all the pit falls of this re-nourishment plan. She offered alternatives and scientific proof, but it fell on deaf ears. Tom Merrill also pointed out in his soft spoken and eloquent way these same objections adding that there is no need to have our government involved and why would we want to give up control of our beach. Of course there were a few who wanted re-nourishment; none of whom brought forth any facts or evidence that re-nourishment was needed; nor are any of them including the council personally affected by this or giving up anything.
In the end it was worth watching this dog and pony show when Mr. Lee Melsek, stood up for the finale public comment and told the council that they just put a dagger through the heart of the sunshine law for “Not” publicly announcing prior to putting this beach re-nourishment item on the agenda so the people of our community would be given the right to be present and heard. And how could the town council pass this 12-year controversial plan after changes had just been made hours before the meeting and verbally discussed prior to voting.
Lee stated that: While it’s legal to vote on a non-noticed walk-on item, at least one attorney general has said that if the issue is a controversial one you shouldn’t do it. He stated a couple of times that it was Vice Mayor Herb, who was using scare tactics and screaming there’s a fire in the theater to incite and mis-inform the public. “Flip-Flop Babcock” first stated that he would need some time to look over these changes and that it was too big of an issue to decide right away, but then did a 180 and voted for it. Jo List expressed some compassion towards both sides of the issue, but couldn’t quite grasp the concept of fact verses fiction or want verses need. Lastly, Bob Raymond said he wasn’t going to go backwards on this issue, despite not knowing what direction he was going.
I only have one request for this council. “Show me the erosion” rather then draw imaginary lines on a map, physically go out onto the beach and place flags or use some other means to identify these areas that are eroding along this five-mile re-nourishment proposal and show us these businesses and homes that are falling into the Gulf. After all seeing is believing.
Also, explain to the tax paying public why in these very tough economic times is this council -who has already raised our property taxes and are planning to raise them again- wasting some much time, money and resources on this ill conceived plan. Shouldn’t the town council focus on the things we need the most… like real infrastructure improvements?
Fort Myers Beach Resident
David Tezak