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Dear Kari,
Recently, the Cape Coral City Council managed to vote themselves a 100% pay increase with no input or approval from the citizens and voters of Cape Coral. How? They dismissed the members of the Redevelopment Agency (who were not costing the taxpayers a dime) and appointed themselves to the now-vacant positions.
Once they installed themselves, they decided that members of the Redevelopment Agency (themselves) deserved a little something for all their hard work. So they voted themselves a $3300 per month stipend—each—and the mayor $5000 per month. Those amounts are effectively equal to what they are paid for their elected duties. One member apparently didn’t want to be seen being so blatantly crooked and left the room during the vote rather than taking a position.
But he is taking the money.
Take the example of Jaycee Park, a pleasant little oasis facing the river, surrounded on three sides by homes and condos. It’s a gentle green oasis where people walk their dogs,
picnic, and practice yoga on the grass beneath giant old trees. All of that could be
lost—because someone wants to monetize that space, tear up the grass, cut down the trees build an amphitheater, and pave over the whole thing. There’s no money in picnics and yoga.
No one in the immediate neighborhood wants this thing. Nobody in the wider community
wants this thing. The neighborhood cannot handle the crowds that would be necessary to
make such a monstrosity viable, let alone the lights and noise imposed on the local residents. There is no market for it.
But one developer wants it. And one City Council member is willing to go against the
wishes of those most affected. Is he pushing for this amphitheater out of the goodness of his heart? Or is he bought and paid for enough to ignore the demands of his constituents? Or does he just have one constituent?
Corruption does not go away on its own. It must be fought, always and forever. The
politicians who pull these stunts must be turned out, regardless of party or years in office. The Democratic Party of Lee County opposes the backhanded raises the Cape City Council gave themselves. We oppose the self-dealing that gives away public space. We support candidates who will rescind the corrupt “stipend” payments and fight against developers who would take our parks for their profit.
The reality is, it takes money to fight money. Will you help us by starting a recurring
donation of $25 or more to the Democratic Party of Lee County so we can fight the forces that would destroy the Florida we all love?
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