Fire board candidates shooting blanks
To the editor:
I am a concerned Fort Myers Beach resident and have actually been enjoying some of the “shots” back in forth between some of the fire commissioner candidates and their opponents’ endorsers. Is it me or are some of those shots obviously only blanks?
Specifically whenMr Flip Harby (seat 5 candidate) said he was a two-term commissioner. That’s true, but he ran unopposed so he has never been elected.The only time he ran opposed, he lost to Betty Goodacre. His current opponent, Ted Schindler, has been campaigning on reducing the expenditures and budget. Mr Harbynever mentioned budget cuts until the Commotion on the Ocean when he saw that Carol Morris (seat 3 candidate)and Ted Schindler were getting the ears of the constituents with their questioning of previous budgets. Harby immediately jumped on the budget bandwagon. How timely!When he was a two-term commissioner he did not try to curb spending, in fact our fire tax skyrocketed.
Also at the Commotion by the Ocean, all candidates were asked if the fire chief had a goodrelationship with the union?Carol Morris and Ted Schindler answered ‘no’, while Mr Harby said ‘yes’. Funny thing is thata high majority of firefighters and union members signed a letter of ‘No confidence’ about the chief, and this is publicknowledge. Strange that a two-term plus commissioner like Harby does not know that! Guess we have to redefine a “good relationship.”
At the same venue he said he was in favor of closing the new fire department building on San Carlos Blvd.Did he forget that this building was designed to act as a command post and emergency ops facility after Hurricane Charley? Most of us remember you could not access the beach easily and an off island site was needed. He further suggested Iona-Macgregor could fill in for the closed San Carlos station. Does he even know what it would entail to have Iona-Macgregor take over service for that area?Why hasn’t he mentioned thisbefore or is he just now in favor of closing the station?
Al Agathen (seat 3 candidate) wrote into your paper andsaid he did not want “to get involved with cheap-shot politics.” Then he chastised another concerned citizen in that Agathen’s name was misspelled ina letter to the editor. However in Al’s response he misspelledother names – two names that he was discussing.Now for the real “blank shot’– Mr Agathen has misspelled his own name on his campaign signs! His signs say ‘Agathan’. Folks, I did not make that up, just look around town. If he cannot read the proof from the sign company, how is he going to manage the district budget?
Mr Agathen also jumped on the budget bandwagon at the Commotion on the Ocean, and he thought the chiefhad a good relationship with the union as well. The only folks that have a good relationship with the chief are Harby and Agathen.Schindler and Morris have no ties to the department and want to cut back on spending while not degrading our district’s service. They both have budget experience, and Schindler has had an extremely distinguished career serving our country for more than 22 years. Please give them a chance on Nov. 2, it may be your only chance to make a spending change.
Joseph Kowalski?
Fort Myers Beach