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Vice mayor wants out of “fight”

2 min read

To the editor:

This has nothing to do with beach re-nourishment. This has nothing to do with my representation of the town as an elected official. This has to do with the fact that I let myself get drawn into a fight.

The reasons I started writing about beach restoration are simple: 1) I wanted to rebut all of the nonsense coming out in the opinion pages; 2) I wanted to show people that it is safe to write in with an opinion: and 3) no harm ever came of speaking your mind and having a dialog and presenting the facts.

Several friends told me I was naive. They said the people who are against beach re-storation will draw me into their fight and will pile on and shamelessly attack my reputation and my family.

Turns out my friends were right. I turned the other cheek when “the artificial beach gang” made up “facts,” and when they made up quotes. But when they called me names, I called back.

Last week it went too far. Someone called me a liar in the newspaper, claiming a meeting with me never happened. I have both digital and paper records of that meeting available for anyone who doubts my word to inspect. However, I was wrong to get into that fight, and I’m sorry I did. Beach restoration is directly related to the livelihoods of my friends and my own ability to support my family… as well as the safety and security of our homes. It shouldn’t be personal but when I’m attacked, I defend myself.

I don’t expect to see an apology from my detractor this week, but I hope we can put this aside and return to our respective corners.

Herb Acken

Fort Myers Beach