Chuck Curry: A visit from Nelson; historic photos; and more ...

Bonita Springs City Council member Ben Nelson stopped by our offices this past week for a chat about the Daily News' editorial in which we said he should not vote on future Imperial Landing issues.

I have to say I like talking with Nelson. He's a down-home kind of guy and, as I said in a previous column, chatting with him is like a enjoying a Saturday afternoon on the bank of the Imperial River with an old friend.

He has few, if any pretensions and they end quickly, like the high-water mark in the sand on the beach, and his background assures that you cannot out-Bonita this longtime resident and businessman.

Yet, the Daily News stands by its editorial saying Nelson should abstain from future Imperial Landing votes. Nelson is leaving his choice in the hands of the state commission on ethics — a state body with a spotty record for protecting the public's best interest.

The ethics commission is scheduled to issue a final ruling this coming Friday. With a staff recommendation of allowing Nelson to vote in hand, there's really not much question which way the panel will side. The staff says although Nelson is a landowner, there is no reason to legally prevent him from voting on the matter.

From all indications, Nelson, who abstained in January, will be given the green light to move ahead with future votes.

It's unfortunate that the state panel has such a checkered history. Past rulings have allowed such egregious ethical lapses that the panel might just be considered a court jester to the public good.

Now, Nelson's voting fate rests in the ethics commission's hands.

Even if the commission rules in Nelson's favor, it doesn't mean he should vote on Imperial Landing.

Besides his land holdings (a commercial building at Dean Street and Old 41 Road that is home to a pool company; and two homes — one Nelson's primary residence and the other a rental property), which I agree do not constitute a conflict, it is Nelson's cheerleading of the project and his wife taking the lead at the head of a citizens group supporting the project that pushes me to say he shouldn't vote.

The high road would be for Nelson to continue to abstain.

Regardless of the ethics panel's history, I expect that Nelson will stay his course. He's an unabashed supporter of redevelopment in Bonita's historic downtown district and has put the decision, yes or no, in the ethics commission's hands.

Unlike Mayor Jay Arend, who said last week that he believes a workshop on the Imperial Landing plan might turn the City Council majority in favor of it, Nelson believes that the public is the key to the project.

The public, which can influence council members, should be able to see that Imperial Landing will help the area, Nelson says.

Today's Perspective section in the Daily News features all 19 of Bonita Springs' properties listed as "historic resources."

It was an eye-opening experience to see each and every one.

From the Nutting House on Pennsylvania Avenue to properties on East Terry Street and Pullen Avenue, the properties run a course from obvious historical significance (the Dixie Moon Cafe) to sites less so.

In any case, readers will find photos and a map of the properties. Check them out. You'll enjoy the experience.

• Upcoming editions of the Sunday Banner will feature the Old 41 Road corridor and the Bonita Springs cemetery. Both are well-known (or at least familiar), but these two-week packages will give readers an up-close view.

Web site of the week: I'm not much of a fan of encouraging anyone to play the lottery, but, if you do, then the Florida Lottery's pages on the Web are pretty solid (http://www.flalottery.com/).

No only can you find if your numbers have won (and they are updated quickly each night and with "news releases" by 10 a.m. the next morning telling where winning tickets were sold), but you can also find out if your special Lotto numbers have ever won before.

It's a workable site that you should check out if you decide to play the lottery.