Letters to the editor for Sunday, July 10, 2022

Lefebvre, McLeod for Collier commission

Naples Better Government proudly endorses two long-time Collier County residents for Collier County commissioner. The candidates’ positions on affordable housing, growth, economic development, public safety, water quality, environment, mental health, fiscal policy, and complemented by strong records of community activism were key reasons the NBG Board makes these recommendations.

In commission District Two, Naples Better Government recommends Gerald Lefebvre. Gerald served for over 20 years on the Collier County Code Enforcement Board. He is an active member of the Naples Area Board of Realtors Government Issues Committee and a recipient of the Ad Miller Award for his work protecting private property rights. Gerald earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Connecticut.

In commission District Four, Naples Better Government recommends Michelle McLeod. Michelle served on the Naples City Council from 2016 to 2020 where she was instrumental with the development of Baker Park, the City Dock, and the City Emergency Operations Center. Her experience includes the Collier County Community Land Trust, Leadership Collier, Leadership Florida, Collier Coalition for Healthy Minds, and Naples Pathway Coalition. Her background is hotel management and banking. Michelle earned a bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College and a master’s degree in Business Administration from Florida Gulf Coast University.

All candidates running for Districts 2 and 4 seats on the Board of County Commissioners were invited to participate in the pre-endorsement candidate interviews on June 29. Interviewed were candidates Reg Buxton, Chris Hall, Gerald Lefebvre, Nancy Lewis, Daniel Kowal, Michelle McLeod and Penny Taylor.

The Naples Better Government Committee is a nonpartisan political committee founded in 1990 whose purpose is to promote better government in the City of Naples and Collier County.

Dennis Sanders, vice president, Naples Better Government

Elect Kathy Fanny to Lee school board

We need to elect Kathy Fanny for school board here in District 1 (most of Cape Coral and the islands).

Did you know the majority of Lee County school kids cannot read on grade level? Including high schoolers! Their math skills are just as bad. I was shocked when I learned this. We need the right people to help improve these scores. Our children are not going to succeed in life without basic educational skills.

Kathy Fanny spent her life as an educator. That is her education, her career, and her passion. She taught for 38 years, 26 of them as a reading specialist. She knows how to navigate the state, local, and federal mandates to get maximum Title 1 benefits for our schools (all District 1 schools are Title 1 schools).

I’ve heard Kathy speak to large groups and participate in question-and-answer sessions with other candidates. Her background, education and experience make her the best qualified. Votekathyfanny.net is where you can see for yourself.

Susan Schroeder, Saint James City

All religions should reject anti-Semitism

After reading the article in The News-Press regarding a variety of anti-Semitic flyers found in some driveways in Naples and other spots, I would encourage not only the leader of the Catholic Church in Venice, Florida but leaders of all religious groups to inform and educate their members on anti-Semitism. I am sure that many leaders of Protestant, Catholic, Mormon, Atheist, Agnostic, Unaffiliated and other groups who meet to affirm valued behaviors have done this. However, it appears to me that anti-Semitic behaviors as well as other hate behaviors are becoming more frequent all over the country. I do believe these leaders need to send many loud and clear messages to their people regarding the Jewish peoples as well as other groups that have been targeted with intolerable behaviors. For the Christians of our country refer to Romans 12:19-21 on the topic of Vengeance; for the other groups I am sure your beliefs would be similar.  The slogan “Fight Hate” would have more merit if another word than “Fight" were used.  Let’s get rid of all words that encourage warring behaviors. Actually, “Get rid of Hate” would not be bad.

JoAnn Reece, Sanibel

Support short-term rental ordinance

There has been a great deal of misinformation spread about the short-term rental (STR) registration ordinance in an effort to confuse voters.

First, it’s important to be clear what the ordinance does NOT do:

1. It does NOT affect visitors to homes that are not short-term rentals; 2. It does NOT affect condos, which are regulated by HOAs; 3. It does NOT affect long-term rentals; 4. It does NOT even “ban” short-term rentals.

It simply provides basic registration procedures for STRs in the single-family districts that are rented for less than 30 days. These procedures include common-sense items like requiring fire extinguishers and smoke alarms, ensuring the appropriate license from the state is received, etc.

Importantly, this ordinance is drawn in parallel to Fort Lauderdale’s ordinance, which is being enforced without any legal issues. It is 100 percent in compliance with state law.

This ordinance would not cause businesses to suffer on Marco Island. Not only would STRs continue to operate, but consider how businesses were thriving on Marco prior to the STR invasion. It’s also important to recognize how difficult it is, for example, for a resident to get a table at local restaurant during peak season. Residents are being crowded out from contributing to our local economy.

Some have claimed that the current situation of weekly vacation rentals were an invention of the Mackle Brothers. Clearly this is false: the deed restrictions created by the Mackle Brothers state that only a residential single family use is allowed in single-family districts. Nor could the Mackle Brothers have possibly anticipated AirBnb and VRBO — or even the Internet itself — when Marco was developed. Since 2019 alone, the number of AirBnB listings on Marco has increased by more than 50 percent.

Here’s the bottom line: the growth in unregistered STRs has caused a flurry of noise, parking, trash, and traffic issues that our residents are paying the price for. This common-sense referendum simply provides basic registration items for STRs rented for less than 30 days, in order to make life a little more bearable for residents and visitors alike.

So don’t buy in to the misinformation out there. Instead, vote “YES” on the Short Term Rental Registration Ordinance on August 23.

Rozine Grey, Marco Island

Vote 'no' on vacation home ordinance

Who here has read the 16-page vacation home ordinance proposed on the August 23rd ballot?

The extreme rental rules will knock your socks off: (1) Lanai noise is allowed for one minute only ... really? (2) Archaic land-line phone service is required ... really? (3) Exit maps are required on every wall ... really? (4) Sex offender statement required on every front door ... really?

Time to step up voters. Axe the Attack! Vote NO! August 23rd.

Karen Twyning, Marco Island and Wisconsin

Naples needs to halt development

Collier County commissioner activity has perplexed me for years. With all the opportunity to address concerns, attendance at meetings and e-mails, I have never been able to achieve the feeling that my voice is heard. Now comes an article by Rachel Mercader which is astonishingly refreshing in suggesting, in print, that maybe nobody is being heard and this appears to be a reflection of our national mind-set (my opinion) about a lack of voice in public matters. Riots in Washington or near riots in East Naples, Attendees with guns?  Likely to increase until somebody is shot.

The process is out of control.  She quotes a local organizer (Jacob Winge) as suggesting that developers "cut checks to elected officials."  Wow, where is that going to lead us?  I note that in the controversial projects the same attorneys seem to be representing the developers (Barron Collier Companies and Rich Jovanovich, Stock Development and Rich Jovanovich),  Looks incestuous even if not.

Thank goodness we have an election coming up which will hopefully replace several commissioners and relieve the concerns I have about collusion. I don't suspect that my voice in the wilderness will ever impact any commissioner vote, but the concern remains as to how the citizens, even when organized under financial contributions, will ever have an impact on entrenched interests with bigger guns, more money and lawyerly brotherhood to overcome citizen input and concern.

Naples needs to halt development.  Our roads are overwhelmed, our restaurants are overwhelmed, If something is to be built let it be lower-cost housing, not the 20 percent factor designed to appease commissioners.  A recent estimate suggested that 48,000 people who work in Naples come from homes outside the county. That is going to get worse in direct proportion to the number of million-dollar-plus homes being constructed in seven or eight new towers.  Each of those homes needs two seats in the restaurants, housekeeping, maintenance and landscaping support.  And we cannot build any more roads.

Charlie Berry, Naples

GOP chooses weapons over life

We have now discovered the evidence that Republicans are satisfied with Americans can be sacrificed at the expense of their interpretation of the Second Amendment and that Americans can and should be able to own weapons of war, even at the age of 18. This means that anyone can kill you, at anytime, anywhere, for any reason. You have become an approved casualty of war. A war where the chosen weapon, an AR-15, is more important than you, your family, your friends, and even those in the womb. We expect our cops to take multiple hours of training to be able to use this weapon of war, yet an 18-year-old can purchase this same weapon of war, without training. How is that for being Pro-Life?

Lou Profeta, Fort Myers

Put more focus on the baby

Apparently, the media has determined that the pro-life community should be referred to as "anti-abortion." At the same time, "women's rights" seems to be replacing "pro-choice."  That's understandable, since the choice is between life and death, and no one really wants to admit being on the side of death.

Actually, the best reference for us is the  "respect life" community since we advocate for life from conception to natural death.  We are pleased to be part of the celebration of life rather than the culture of death.

It is our belief that abortion is the end of life for a completely innocent and helpless unborn child who has a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. With all the rhetoric about women's rights and women's bodies, there is hardly any mention about the baby.  Maybe it's time to put more focus on the baby.  That may make it a whole new ballgame, as they say.

Diane Corcelli, Bonita Springs

Outlaw the ammunition

The current Supreme Court seems to be taking our Constitution literally. If it is not specifically mentioned it does not exist.

Our nation's founders allowed the right to bear arms because the early citizens kept arms to hunt food and became accurate by necessity. Those citizens formed the army under George Washington that defeated Great Britain to gain our independence. They could never envision the advancement the state of today's automatic killer weapons meant for warfare.

Since the Constitution does not mention ammunition or clips any laws outlawing specific types of ammunition and clips should not be turned down by the Supreme Court unless they make a radical change to their interpretation.

Outlawing those types of ammunition would make those kind of weapons useless.

E.R. Santhin, Naples

Where do loyalties lie?

Sadly my suspicions have been verified. It was indeed a multifaceted coup attempt leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on our Capitol. With our own local representatives knowingly or unknowingly involved. Both need to explain their actions; or resign! Did they comply to their oath of office; no! Did they comply to their "party" loyalty oath; it certainly appears so! I believe history will certainly reflect negatively on those involved. I've ask several times for the local press, ask both our local representatives to explain their actions. As of yet; they have not! So I'll ask here. Byron and Mario: Which oath are you following?

Robert Jenkins, Naples

Second Amendment antiquated

We are the most heavily armed country in the world with by far the most mass shootings and deaths. Passing any substantive legislation is almost impossible due to worries about infringing on citizens' Second Amendment rights. How the verbiage of this antiquated addendum has been translated to mean everybody can have free access to as many guns as they wish is beyond intelligent comprehension. A well-regulated militia from 1791 was the intent of the amendment when the weapons were mostly muskets. Now we have automatic flesh-shredding rifles in the hands of deranged perpetrators. Some states are now allowing public carry with no permits. At the very least, the Second Amendment needs to be amended itself. The latest legislation was a baby step to what is needed. We have to do much more to keep guns out of the hands of political activists and racists who are easily identified from social media. Universal background checks and the banning of high-velocity weapons and their massive clips are a reasonable start. For once, quit worrying about votes and do your job.

Glenn Chenot, Cape Coral

Stop politicizing tragedy

How dare you publish the names of the children tragically lost at the hands of lunatics. Your liberal political agenda never takes into consideration the feelings that the families of these innocent victims experience. They are reminded daily of their loss, with an empty chair at the dinner table. They don’t need their names splashed all over the paper, to once again churn up memories of such an unimaginable loss.

This is personal to me. My best friend’s child is one of the names you thoughtlessly published. Stop politicizing tragedy. Let them grieve in private and in peace. Think before you put ink to paper.

Ken Bednar Jr, Naples

Talking when you should be listening

I coined the phrase “The Harley Syndrome” when I was a journeyman electrician supporting my way through law school. One Monday morning, my IBEW foreman, Harley, showed up for work with two black eyes. Before his crew could comment, Harley silenced us by saying: “Listen up. I can explain things with one sentence: I was talking when I should have been listening.”

All Democrat websites allow no feedback. If you want to represent grass roots, you have to listen to the grass roots. But the Democrat websites allow only two things: (1) This is what your candidate has to say (most of which is pretty boring), and (2) Send money this way. The websites provide for no feedback, no input. Just listen and send money. They are dissing their grass roots which is an affront to democracy and a pathway to defeat in elections.

If they intend to represent the citizens, Democrats need to listen to the citizens. To act otherwise is like being a Republican. You are talking when you should be listening. No wait, wait. If you are a Republican, you are listening to Fox News when you should be thinking. Unfortunately, Democrats are caught up by the suck of the marginal undertow.

Joe Haack, Naples

Democrats, Biden unfairly blamed

Republicans unfairly blame President Biden and the Democrats for high gas prices and overall inflation in hopes of a Red Wave in November. But, according to “Inflation hits record for euro countries” (USA Network, 7/2), all Western nations are experiencing record prices due to the catastrophic and disruptive events of the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Since inflation is even higher in Europe, how could Democrats in America be responsible?

Rising prices are a serious problem — especially for the poor — but flipping Congress will make matters worse. More upsetting than paying five dollars a gallon for gas is paying five dollars a gallon while living under an authoritarian, anti-democratic regime of AR-15-toting Proud Boys turning women into handmaids to increase the “domestic supply of infants” and teaching children that slavery was merely “involuntary relocation” (“Texas schools proposal calls slavery ‘involuntary relocation,’” News-Press, 7/2).

When we hold politicians accountable, we must make sure they are the ones responsible. One could even argue that former President Trump’s incompetent mishandling of the pandemic and his servility to Putin made our current instability inevitable. In any case, sometimes situations present limited options. Don’t let Republicans con you again into believing they alone can fix it.

Connie Holzinger, Fort Myers

Civil discourse in democracy, schooling

Sticks and Stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me. This was a highly held belief when I was a kid. My parents believed it, my friends believed it, and I believed it. As long as you wee not physically harmed name calling was okay. In light of the vile political rhetoric of recent years i think about the kids who were the brunt of vicious comments about their physical stature, the clothes they wore, the country of their ancestors, the language they spoke, the glasses they wore, the food they ate, or their religious beliefs. Be rest assured, name calling did hurt these kids. In a significant way rhetorical sticks and stones were thrown and made their mark deep inside the victims. I saw this first hand as a middle school teacher.

Civil discourse is a critical component of American democracy and public schooling. It involves reasonable people sharing differences of opinion and arriving at policies and solutions that benefit everyone, It does not involve character assassination and demeaning comments about points of view that are different. Unfortunately, civil discourse is absent from "don't say gay" legislation designed to suppress critical and creative thinking. It is also designed to restrict interaction between teachers and students to "safe" and non-controversial topics. I am convinced that restricting conversation to topics that make students comfortable diminishes the quality of the dialogue and limits the perspective that students achieve with open and candid conversation.

Lawrence Byrnes, Fort Myers

Backward to medieval times

Is anyone else disgusted with the SCOTUS and GOP MAGA maniacs? The people who are cheering that Roe v Wade has been overturned are really cheering that rape and incest victims will now be forced to bear the child of their rapist! Anyone with common sense knows this is totally inhumane. Not only will young girls now have to live with the trauma of their brutal rape, they will also be reminded of it for the next nine months by carrying the horror of this event. As we all know giving birth is far from easy and painless, so these innocent young girls will be forced to go through more life altering trauma by giving birth to a baby created by a monster. This is not an act of God; this situation was caused by a deranged individual who is mentally sick. Yet the MAGA GOP is cheering that this is a wonderful thing to happen to these poor innocent girls. For the life of me, I cannot even imagine what this sadistic party is thinking. The only way we can correct this wrong is to get out and vote this November! If we don’t, our nation will continue to spiral backward to medieval times when women had no rights. It’s time to wake up and realize our country is headed in the wrong direction, and we the people are the only ones who can change the course we’re on!

Jim Propert, Fort Myers

Sliding into theocracy and fascism

I watch sadly as the country I love sinks deeper into fascism, not much different than mid-1930s Germany, and with an ever-growing obsession with guns. There are mass shootings on a daily basis, and children continue to die by the dozens, yet the gun fetishists still regurgitate their "God-given rights" nonsense, not willing to yield even so much as an inch to reduce the mayhem.

In the Sixties the USA was looked up to as a scientific and commercial leader. Now the USA is seen as a rather backwards, failing democracy sliding into theocracy and fascism. The decline was gradual and there was possibly an uplift when Obama was elected. But the circus that followed and culminated in the election of Trump caused a massive decline in the USA's standing.

The Trump administration, his lack of statesmanship, his lack of class, lying, self-promotion and criminal behavior eroded that further. This latest atrocity by the religion and fascist controlled legal hierarchy is an atrocity and a deprivation of personal freedom.

America isn't the land of the free. It's oppressed by a religion-controlled fascist party that isn't even currently the democratically elected administration. It runs health care as a business, tips every scale in favor of the wealthy and cares nothing for the majority of the population and regularly ignores the will of the majority. America may never be great again. It's broken. It's position as the leading economic power is under serious threat. It's self-appointed, position as leader of the free world is lost on moral grounds.

Steve Wolfson, Fort Myers

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Letters to the editor for Sunday, July 10, 2022