'Go away and sin no more': Ziegler must put others first and quit Sarasota's School Board

Zieglers should move far, far away

As expected, narcissist and hypocrite Bridget Ziegler has refused to resign from the Sarasota County School Board.

Despite the unanimous vote of her four board colleagues Tuesday urging her to do so, Ziegler places herself above the good of Sarasota County's public school students, just as her husband, Florida Republican Party Chairman Christian Ziegler, prioritizes his ambitions over the fortunes of the state GOP.

The arrogance of these two charlatans − promoting moral values and demeaning the LGBTQ community while sharing a ménage à trois with another woman − displays the void in their characters.

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Rather than ignoring the call of a growing number of Florida officials and residents, the Zieglers should be making plans to relocate far away from the state they have disgraced − assuming Christian Ziegler does not face charges in the aftermath of an ongoing police investigation into a sexual assault complaint.

The situation recalls the advice an unknown wag gave the adulterous Queen Caroline, the wife of British King George IV:

“Most Gracious Queen, we thee implore

 to go away and sin no more,

or if that effort be too great

to go away at any rate.”

Richard J. Strafford, Bradenton

School Board member defrauded the public

Bridget Ziegler should resign (“Sarasota School Board approves resolution calling for Bridget Ziegler to resign,” Dec. 12).

Ziegler is Sarasota’s equivalent of former U.S. Rep. George Santos, the disgraced New York lawmaker who was recently expelled from Congress.

An elected member of the School Board, Ziegler defrauded the public as to her true values. Pretending to be virulently anti-gay while privately engaging in a sexual relationship involving another woman is the height of hypocrisy.

Sarasota deserves better.

Marilyn Lucht, Sarasota

Trump win would jeopardize democracy

Citizens of America, can you envision the chaos that will be created if we elect former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election?

The rhetoric and the actions that will further isolate us from our allies and encourage dictators and autocrats are nearly incomprehensible.

Trump is the one person that Russian President Vladimir Putin wants in our leadership role – so that Putin may continue to advance and facilitate his falling domino transition of Eastern Europe. And Trump is the one person that members of the G7, NATO and other international democracies don’t want as a world leader.

If Trump is elected, our democracy will be in jeopardy, our leadership of the free world will be obliviated and our lives will be severely circumscribed.

Al Mahan, Sarasota

Maintain zoning standards for Sarasota bars

I watched the recent Sarasota City Commission workshop on the proposed Zoning Text Amendment regarding restaurants, bars and nightclubs with dismay.

In a nutshell, the city staff wants to take a blowtorch to the oversight currently in place for the zoning of bars.

If passed, this ZTA will allow bars to be built as easily as restaurants, with no input from the community, Sarasota's Planning Board or the city commission.

By using retractable or roll-up walls, outdoor and rooftop bars can also be built without oversight. This particular loophole was pointed out by Dan Clermont, chair of the planning board, but this workaround remains wide open.

Moreover, the staff wants to eliminate any minimum separation of bars from houses of worship in the downtown neighborhoods. Even New York City requires a 200-foot separation. This is an insult to people of faith.

If this ZTA passes, Sarasota will have one of the most permissive zoning standards for bars, including outdoor and rooftop bars, in the state of Florida.

I fear there may not be a majority on the city commission to stop this madness.

Peter Blanton, Sarasota

Would-be president with no regard for truth

How is it possible that anyone who loves this country would want to vote again for former President Donald Trump? Yet I read that Trump is still far ahead of all other Republican Party candidates in the polls.

Putting aside whatever may or may not happen to Trump in our judicial system, how could you vote for a guy who has absolutely no regard for the truth?

I know that the Donald’s tough guy, “tell it like it is” exterior appeals to many folks. But, please, listen to what he is actually saying and understand where his priorities seem to be.

I guarantee Trump's priorities will not serve the best interests of the blue-collar voter, a bloc critical to victory in any election and a group into which he apparently has made significant inroads.

Behind his bluster, Trump is interested in just one thing – his own interests.

Now I know President Joe Biden is no spring chicken. I know he is not perfect. But I feel more comfortable with Biden's hand on the nuclear button than I would with Trump’s.

Bill Matthews, Venice

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Advice for Zieglers: 'Go away and sin no more'