Resident expresses dismay at Beach Library Board
To the editor:
I am a single woman that lives and works on Fort Myers Beach. Where I work, many people come to share ideas to try to save money on projects for their homes and condos. Recently, when I heard that there were plans to spend $9 million for a new library next to the one that is already there and one of the nicest buildings in town, many of us decided to make our choice known (since we never got to vote on these elected officials) to look at the project and perhaps re-think it.
Not being a spokesperson or ever excising my right to speak, I decided to put a petition together to present to the Town and Library. Actually, in the beginning, I thought they were the same. Anyway, I presented a petition of 300 names to the town council. There were several of us that spoke against the project. They were nice to me and, even though they didn’t respond to me, they did take the action to send the information to the library on my behalf.
Last Tuesday, I went to the library board myself. After waiting until after they voted to continue the project, they let me and others speak. Many were against the project.
To my dismay, their attorney, Anne Dalton, told them that the petition (now with 500-plus signatures) was not worded correctly, so she gave them the option of ignoring me. They did! No wonder they can still say that they only hear from people that are for it. Maybe I didn’t do everything exactly right, but I’m not sure that they are either. If they attended to make me feel uncomfortable and unwelcome, they did.
Maybe the library board can instruct me on how to present my opposition to the project and how they treat people like me that are trying to participate in government.
Cindy Hoover
Fort Myers Beach