Resident has questions
To the editor:
1- Why a town?
My exposure to paradise coincided with incorporation around 1996. Can any long-time resident relate how the 13-year periodpreceding incorporation was worse that the incessant angst that has occurred in the 13 years since?
Can anyone list what benefits have accrued to any entity or individual since as the result of incorporation? Rather I believe that the creation of a council has given voice and focus to the inevitable tension between the two warring parties on the beach -the business people versus the retirees and second homers. I recall a big reason to “Go Town” was to stop or limit Waterside, boy that was a great success. Would the Lee BOCC have even considered shutting down Bay Oaks if there was not a town to conveniently hive it off on.
2- Why the waste?
The Tax office and the local Sheriff’s Precinct used to be in the Winn Dixie strip mall, which gives evidence of a rise in vacant spaces. I bet the owner would have struck a great deal with Lee County to have them re-rent there. But no, they are now in large separate buildings on a very large piece of land on Pine Ridge Road at the cost of how many millions I wonder? Don’t tell me that it was all planned before the economic crisis. It should be the sacred duty of public representatives to conserve tax payers money in good as well as bad times.
3- Why the firing?
Ex-Mayor (Dennis) Boback has a very interesting rationale, but if he is wrong and the outing of Jazzella was not a God-given opportunity for Messrs Kiker and Acken to oust Janke in favor of their man, Jack (Green), then we are left with the mayor and council’s explanation that the heavy responsibility and complexity of the administration of this twice taxed tin-pot town would be jeopardized by the attention diverted to communicating with the news media. Now I used to think that Mr. Kiker was, by far, the best of the many, many mayors we have endured. I would have given him at least a four and perhaps a five out of 10.
But not any more. Where is it in his job description that he has to answer every phone call and email? Does he not have a delete button, and what is wrong with a polite but firm “no comment” so beloved of politicians?
The news media has a very short memory and attention span. I wonder how many calls the mayor is getting now from the news people?
4- Finally!
Not a question, but an exhortation to everyone to be very careful what you allow your public servants do to your health care system. A couple of scary facts- The world’s three largest employers are, in order, the Chinese Army, The Indian National Railways and the British National Health Service, where non-medical people out number medical staff. (The source is a British member of the European Union parliament).
Also the Daily Mail is a national British newspaper, not a tabloid, and it recently reported that more than 400 old people die per year in British hospitals of STARVATION. It seems that the food is so bad the old folks do not want to eat it and there is not enough staff to care for them or encourage them and some just waste away and die of malnutrition.
Peter Reid
Fort Myers Beach