http://www.marconews.com/news/opinion/letters/?partner=RSSmarconews.com Stories: Lettersen-usopinion/lettershttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/may/23/letter-editor-thanks-all-piped-piper-painters/?partner=RSSDear Editor; I wish to express thanks to the members and friends of the Marco Island Center for the Arts who volunteered and participated in phase one of the Pied Piper Painting Project, held on Saturday, May 18. After presenting the project to Executive Director Lynn Holley, President Rosemary Wick and the board of directors, the go ahead was unanimously endorsed. The purpose of the project was to give the center a new and exciting look with a facelift that created a more visual affect for the building at no cost. To accomplish the no cost goal, volunteers donated $25 per person to pay for supplies, as well as supply their own tools such as, a paint brush, roller handle, cover and a paint pan. Thu, 23 May 2013 22:31:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-342055-735011opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: Thanks to all the Piped Piper paintersmarconews.comletter-editor-thanks-all-piped-piper-paintersurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-342055-735011Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/may/22/letter-editor-very-public-thank-you/?partner=RSSRecently, my son had a seizure while at home. Rather than relive that event, I want to focus my attention on the outcome. Jacob is doing well. He’ll need to undergo a series of test, etc., and he remains in good cheer! When I arrived on scene coming from work, Jacob was surrounded by several of Marco’s dedicated firemen, police and paramedics. I’ve had the distinction of seeing these folks in action before and never gave enough consideration to publicly thank these men and women. Wed, 22 May 2013 22:13:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-341918-735010opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: A very public thank youmarconews.comletter-editor-very-public-thank-youurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-341918-735010Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/may/22/letter-editor-memorial-day-marco/?partner=RSS The Marco Veterans of Foreign Wars will hold it’s annual memorial day ceremony at Veteran’s Park on May 27. The approximately one hour program will feature music by the Marco Strummers, Wes English, director. Also, the Star Spangled Banner sung by Craig Gruesel, director of the Lutheran Church music department, with audience participation. There will be the usual salute to the armed services, with members of each service standing for recognition as their branch march is played. The Civil Air Patrol will provide a fly-over during the armed services salute. Post Commander Jim Lang will give an address for the occasion, and Marco’s own Kate Smith (Herb Savage) will lead us all in God Bless America. The posting of the colors and retirement of same will be by the VFW color guard along with accompaniment by the Strummers drum corps. People are advised to bring chairs or blankets for their comfort. Lee Henderson will be recognized as the new Commander of the Marco VFW. He is currently Commander of the Marco Island Civil Air Patrol, and his organizational skills will be greatly appreciated. Wed, 22 May 2013 22:11:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-341917-735010opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: Memorial Day on Marcomarconews.comletter-editor-memorial-day-marcourn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-341917-735010Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/may/16/letter-editor-choosing-city-manager/?partner=RSSThe city manager and the city attorney are always selected by the current sitting City Council and serve at the pleasure of the current council. Every two years there is an election that often changes the makeup of the council. This change in makeup can and often does cause the city manager and the city attorney positions to be volatile and unstable in nature. Thu, 16 May 2013 18:50:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-341307-735004opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: Choosing a city managermarconews.comletter-editor-choosing-city-managerurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-341307-735004Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/may/16/letter-editor-sad-note/?partner=RSSIt was 26 years ago that I was invited to sing in Goodland Florida with the “Paradise Jazz band,” lead by Pianist Bob Gideons. He was famous for his theatrics at the keyboard, bouncing up and down and playing that left handed bass, fast and furious. He knew everybody’s favorite song when they came in, with the hope of getting a seat at the piano bar. Thu, 16 May 2013 18:49:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-341306-735004opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: Sad notemarconews.comletter-editor-sad-noteurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-341306-735004Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/may/13/letter-ediotr-dynamics-new-mackle-park-community-c/?partner=RSSWhile our City Council winds-up its deliberations over the construction of a new multi-million dollar center at Mackle Park, ‘We the People’ are still waiting to hear what community offerings and dedicated spaces should embellish this new Parks & Recreation Department’s flagship. What comprehensive recreational-sports-leisure-pastime-wellness-education opportunities should our new center offer taxpayers, their guests and paying visitors at Mackle Park and, especially, elsewhere throughout our diverse city? Obviously, the dynamics of Marco Island should deny the request for a behemoth community center confined to a single site. Shouldn’t our City Council now be thinking outside their traditional boxes of staff recommendations and vested interest suggestions from single-minded cronies? Mon, 13 May 2013 18:57:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-340903-735001opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: The dynamics of the new Mackle Park community centermarconews.comletter-ediotr-dynamics-new-mackle-park-community-curn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-340903-735001Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/may/08/letter-editor-weigh-new-city-manager/?partner=RSSTo the citizens of Marco Island: Your City Council voted to begin the process of selecting a new city manager by asking search firms to submit proposals for our review. We hope to get many responses and to select a smaller number of search firms to interview in person. An important part of the search firm’s work will be seeking candidates who match the criteria we outline – that is, what kinds of things are we looking for in a candidate. Wed, 08 May 2013 22:35:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-340500-734996opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: Weigh in on new city managermarconews.comletter-editor-weigh-new-city-managerurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-340500-734996Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/may/06/letter-editor-fire-rescue-foundation-offers-thanks/?partner=RSSThe Marco Island Fire Rescue Foundation would like to thank our sponsors, volunteers and the Island community for their contributions in making our April Pancake Breakfast a huge success. Thank you to Coastal Breeze News, Cocomos, Pyramid AmSan, Marco Eagle and Mutual of Omaha Bank for their support. And a very heart felt thank you to all of our Fire Fighters and EMT’s who assisted that day. Their commitment to our community is why the Foundation was created. Hope to see you all in November. Mon, 06 May 2013 16:52:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-340194-734994opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: Fire Rescue Foundation offers thanksmarconews.comletter-editor-fire-rescue-foundation-offers-thanksurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-340194-734994Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/may/02/letter-editor-seeking-city-manager/?partner=RSSI have just researched the requirements that cities, towns and villages in Florida are seeking when hiring someone for a city manager position. The following communities are actively seeking applicants at the present time: Lake Wales, North Bay Village, North Miami Beach, Fruitland Park, Indian Rocks Beach and South Miami. Thu, 02 May 2013 18:29:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-339948-734990opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: Seeking a city managermarconews.comletter-editor-seeking-city-managerurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-339948-734990Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/may/02/letter-editor-we-can-all-make-difference/?partner=RSSBefore there was “Boston Strong” there was “New Jersey Strong.” After Hurricane Sandy many celebrities and Governor Christie vowed to get the Jersey shore up and running again. Along with the rich and famous there were ordinary folk who were horrified by the massive destruction. Thu, 02 May 2013 18:28:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-339947-734990opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: We can all make a differencemarconews.comletter-editor-we-can-all-make-differenceurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-339947-734990Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/apr/25/letter-editor-watch-out-lazies/?partner=RSSEditor: The following is a brief picture of our once proud American society which is now in decay. I have concluded that low information, liberal politicians and their supporters (AKA, The Lazies) are destroying our once-proud American society. Please permit me to elaborate. Everyone can see that our government supports people who can work but won’t, who“own” cell phones that they did not buy (called Obamaphones!), who have children that they cannot feed, who live in houses that they cannot afford, who drive cars that they cannot fill with gas, who eat themselves into obesity, who hope and pray that the Boston bombers turn out to be home-grown, white terrorists, etc. In the meantime, hardworking, Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:45:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-339273-734983opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: Watch out for the ‘Lazies’marconews.comletter-editor-watch-out-laziesurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-339273-734983Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/apr/25/letter-editor-search-new-city-manager/?partner=RSSResidents of Marco Island will soon be put through the trial and cost of finding a new city manager. My guess is the cost will be approximately $50,000 just to find the Mr. (or Mrs.) Right. Having lived here for 16 years, the very best city manager has been Bill Moss, currently the Naples city manager. The next best was Dana Souza, who was the director of parks and recreation with strong family ties on Marco and was acting city manager for only two months until the circus train arrived with Steve Thompson aboard. Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:44:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-339272-734983opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: The search for a new city managermarconews.comletter-editor-search-new-city-managerurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-339272-734983Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/apr/25/letter-editor-hire-professional/?partner=RSSGentlemen, with the resignation of our city manager, will you please have the wisdom and forsight to hire a ‘professional’ replacement. Thank you for your cooperation. Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:43:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-339271-734983opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: Hire a ‘professional’marconews.comletter-editor-hire-professionalurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-339271-734983Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/apr/22/letter-editor-mackle-park-and-equal-opportunity/?partner=RSSWith or without a voter plebiscite (aka as a “public referendum” in our City Charter), ‘We the People’ will soon purchase a multi-million dollar new community center at Mackle Park to promote the elixir of perpetual youth and well-being for citizens and visitors of all ages. Even our resident primary care physician, Dr. Carlos Portu, has declared this to be a major mission of local government and of greater significance than, for instance, safety and security according to his recent letter to the editor in our local newspapers. Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:20:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-338871-734980opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: Mackle Park and equal opportunitymarconews.comletter-editor-mackle-park-and-equal-opportunityurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-338871-734980Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/apr/22/letter-editor-mica-outdated/?partner=RSSPertaining to Marco Golf & Garden, Deltona Corp. and the Mackle Brothers might have given MICA some authority 40 years ago because MICA was the only organization on Marco Island at that time. When Deltona left the Island, the authority that MICA had died with the Mackle Brothers. MICA is an organization that is supposed to be looking out after the people’s rights. It seems to me that MICA does everything but that. Why doesn’t Marco Island City Council and the people of Marco vote this obsolete organization off the Island and do away with this problem once and for all? We are a city now. We don’t need MICA. Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:19:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-338870-734980opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: MICA outdated?marconews.comletter-editor-mica-outdatedurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-338870-734980Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/apr/18/letter-editor-pier-ing-marcos-future/?partner=RSSMarco Island is a marvelous vacation, spot but it seems to be lacking one major attraction — a pier similar to the Naples Pier. I cannot think of anything that would attract more vacationers’ attention than a pier located at Tigertail Beach. It would enhance fishing options, sightseeing and would become a major draw for vacationers and residents alike. Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:39:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-338552-734976opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: Pier-ing into Marco’s futuremarconews.comletter-editor-pier-ing-marcos-futureurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-338552-734976Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/apr/18/letter-editor-may-veterans-month/?partner=RSSJust as a reminder that a few years ago, the United States Congress established the month of May as the appreciation month of veterans, and that May 11 will be known as “spouse day.” I feel that our country has been very noble to have set the whole month to recognize its veterans and especially to recognize the spouses who gave in a different way, but did so. Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:36:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-338549-734976opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: May is Veterans' Monthmarconews.comletter-editor-may-veterans-monthurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-338549-734976Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/apr/18/letter-editor-shy-wold-sanctuary-needs-you/?partner=RSSShy Wolf Sanctuary, which has been in Naples for many years, is endeavoring to secure donations in order to be able to move to our new location and have more room to take in and save the lives of more exotic animals than we do now. We have formed a committee named “SOS”which stands for Save Our Sanctuary, whose sole purpose will be to raise money specifically to make the move possible and to build the new facility. We desperately need your help and are looking to recruit business people and/or animal lovers that would like to help us to continue our mission of saving and rehabilitating exotic former pets such as wolves, wolf dogs, panthers, foxes,and prairie dogs. We also help to educate the public about these unwanted animals,and are strictly run by volunteers. Please check out our website at shywolfsanctuary.com, and see what you can do to help. Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:35:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-338548-734976opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter to the Editor: Shy Wold Sanctuary needs youmarconews.comletter-editor-shy-wold-sanctuary-needs-youurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-338548-734976Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/apr/11/letter-what-a-bargain/?partner=RSSDennis Reese, Marco Island: What a bargain for an education! Thu, 11 Apr 2013 08:00:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-337708-734969opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter: What a bargainmarconews.comletter-what-a-bargainurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-337708-734969Change0Usablehttp://www.marconews.com/news/2013/apr/09/letter-deficit-reduction/?partner=RSSMukhtar M. Ali, Marco Island: Reduction in workers means less money to the Treasury resulting in an increase in the deficit. Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:00:00 -0000urn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-337524-734967opinion/lettersStaff WriterMarco, FLLetter: Deficit reductionmarconews.comletter-deficit-reductionurn:publicid:www.marconews.com:news-Story-337524-734967Change0Usable