You have my vote Mr. Hall

Good ideas. Wrong candidate. Mr. Hall simply hasn't been in the area long enough. He'll be called a carpetbagger. The cause will suffer. I wouldn't want him to drain votes from someone like Joe Batte who also has good ideas but has a home grown resume.

Holy Crap! Now this Roger Hall is one guy I would like to buy a beer for. He calls it as it is...what a change for us, especially after that deal with Popoff. If you vote for Roger Hall this next Council is going to be a whole lot different from any we've seen before. What a welcome relief. What an addition to Joe Batte this Hall guy would be. I know where two of my votes are going next year and I'm going to tell all my friends to do the same.

I'm sure that the Marco Islanders who are tired and fed up with the insults and ugly body language coming from some of our Councilors are looking forward to the new Council. Who's going to "come out" next?? This is going to be an exciting campaign season and it looks like it has started.

Bye, Bye Minozzi. Bye, Bye Tucker. Bye, Bye Terri. Bye, Bye, Trotter!!

Chase100 I disagree. Hall has been on the front lines fighting for the people for over a year. Who cares that he only moved here in 2005? Where are all the long term residents that are standing up for the citizens? The voters of Marco have been abused for so long it probably takes someone with a fresh set of eys to see how bad this government really is.
Most of the long term residents have given up. We needed fresh blood. Thank you Hall for standing up for us.

Optomist: I hope you're right.

Chase 100,

Chuck Keister had only been on Marco two minutes when he was elected and look at him now.

I think Hall's history speaks for it's self.

The "cause" will not suffer. We need four candidates
to come forward and then we throw everything behind them.

Thank you Mr. Hall. This island has been run by a bunch of people who never amounted to much. This is the high point of their lives. They using their office as their last and only chance to exercise and abuse power. Which one of them ever ran a successful business? We have an accountant that never took the CPA exam, a self styled financial planner that isn't even a certified financial planner, a Dr. of human relations (What a great job he has done with that field on the council) a mortgage broker who has had his own financial problems, and an attorney. It is about time we get someone on the council who has proven they can do something! I agree with you. We need to get rid of the old guard or this island is lost. We need more people like you. Hopefully, a couple more will step forward. You got my vote!

Thank goodness! You have our votes!! Everybody in the Mackle Park Area!!!
P.S. Toss Moss!

I wonder if we can get Hall to commit to tossing Marco Man out with Moss. We need to get the city a symbol it can be proud of. Lely gets the horses, we get Marco Man. How dumb and tasteless are these people?

Mr. Hall, I just drove north up Collier off of San MArco. I couldn't even continue!
The Road is basically flooded. Didn;t we just pay QE a bunch of money for new storm drains?
My GOD it was better before.
Now I know why its so important for someone like you and Batte to get this city back in the hands of competent leaders and its citizens.
BULLSEYE with the bit on Benedict Poppoff!
What everyou need.
Good luck!

Roger:

Thank you!

Ed Foster

Good for you Roger. Aren't you tired of the all too frequent boil water notices because of the almost weekly water main breaks? Perhaps your activism can help straighten things out once and for all.

Maybe you can restore Nancy's water testing budget so Mucko Isle can get a true base line (of the level of pollution) before all are on sewers? Oh, that is the reason they CUT her budget for testing...so there would be no baseline!!!

Your candidancy is seriously great news for M.I.
Good luck. Where do we send a cotribution?

First Batte now Hall, is that a break in the storm clouds I see?
Mr. Hall what you have done for the citizens of Marco is 'reMarcoble'.
You with Mr. Batte may now help bring to fruition the dream of giving the city back to its citizens.

With the utmost respect,
Barfieldfly

Mr. Hall congragulations I know we are on the right track withyou on the council.
I can't afford it here anymore.
Hurry up and get elected.
thank you.
Lee H.

Hall and Batte you need two more candidates. There must be at least two people willing to step up and save the island from the destruction being waged by the current leadership. Who else will step forward and stop these bullies?

Roger Hall, a part time resident since 2005 is running for a seat on the City Council to bring Marco back to "what it used to be". So you want to bring back flooded streets, a failing infrastructure, second class treatment by the County Commission, no return on our taxes, part time protection from the Sheriff's office in Naples? You were not here to experience those days so how dare you want to take Marco back to where it used to be?
You are a total joke!
Roger Hall you have never done anything for this Island except to complain, file frivilous lawsuits which cost the City hundreds of thousands of Dollars and divide the citizens with your rhetoric. You are nothing but an arrogant phony. Your mug which accompanies the "article" which you wrote and had your lapdog Bania sign tells it all.
Don't waste our time and money any longer.

patton1 What lawsuits did Hall file? Do you have any facts or are you just another moss misinformer? Put up or shut up.

patton1 is representive of all we have have come to hate on this island. Their willingness to spew lies about people they know nothing of is so typical of you Mossites.
Patton1 I only encourage you to continue to blog as you have, Mr. hall can always use the positive publicity.
patton1 I beieve LOWUS above said she drive down Collier tonight and the road was impassable due to flooding. We paid millions to QE to fix that, what world are you living in?
Mr. Hall sticks up for us citizens, not your Moss who represents special interests.

Toss Moss(and patton1)

Roger good luck, you certainly have my vote.
Thank you for all you have done for the people of Marco.

Go HALL and BATTE!

Boy, this is great. Mr. Hall running is just what the doctor ordered. Now we can get out all the printed and quoted material from the last 2 years and really make a mockery of what he stands for. Look forward to what is coming, I certainly am. Mr. HYall would not know a fact or the truth if it was staring hiom in the face. And you all can argue till youm are blue in the face, but the proof is in the pudding.

roger.....you have 120% of my support...let me know what i can do! you have spoken your piece, taken the criticisim and now it's time to take back the island from a bunch of morons.

patton1....you are an amazing individual. you do not know roger hall...he is a conservationist that releases every fish he catches...(i fish with him and get mad when he releases a snook i can eat)....he is deeply concerned about this island...he owned a beautiful home in Squaw Valley which he sold to purchase his home on marco...he also owned a slip in miami and a beautiful yacht...which he sold to live on marco....he rows his boat with his wife past my home....roger hall is a class act...unlike you.....he is trying to help as opposed to people like you who are completely ignorant of the facts. how can anyone say that this council has done the job of the people? bill moss has done nothing for this island but cause an uproar...and the reason he has the ability to do it is .....minnosi, tucker, trotter, popoff and discuillo.....period....maybe you should sign up for moron classification like the rest.

laurelbi1...you're a dope.

barfieldfly....what did you say? who can understand you jibberish

VAN I find it amusing I have to clarify myself to someone who makes a statement like "who can understand you jibberish".
But here goes, I am praising Mr. Hall in a humorous way, get it -'reMarcoble' instead of remarkable, ha, ha, ha ,hee he.
I'll try to be more to the point with my posts sir ,
sorry about that.

I should say Ma'am instead of sir.

Thank you Roger Hall! I know you will bring transparancy and accountablility back to City Hall. Honesty and integrity are virtues that well be welcome in the four seats being vacated. Thank you for stepping up to fill one of them.

Mr Hall,
Thank you!! I now feel like things can get better and the healing process can begin next year - it seemed so hopeless before. Knowing now that good, strong minded people who care about this community and its citizens will get on council with Mr Kiester has truly given me a reason to smile again - and possibly want me to take my house off the market and stay.

If Joe Batte or Roger Hall ever decide to hold "Town Hall" meetings at Mackle Park, it will be standing room only. Just like the recent City Council meetings when controversial issues were on the table.

The main difference between these meetings would be that the voice of the people would be heard, appreciated, understood, and acted upon.

That's two votes I now know how to cast at the next election.

It's going to be interesting to see the "spin" from City Hall, now that the writing on the wall is getting clearer by the day.

Words of advice for City Hall,

STOP SPENDING OUR MONEY, STOP WASTING OUR MONEY AND PLEASE STOP WITH THE B.S. WE ARE NOT THAT STUPID!!

Hall says he will reprimand anyone who uses insults?? His whole campaign is based on insulting our current council and staff. He claims a "Popoff bait and switch," what the heck is he talking about? This is clearly an insult. Is it acceptable for Hall to insult but not for anyone else? Double standards? Hall, you have lied and I cannot support a liar for council! Marco Island is smarter than you think and you are the wrong candidate.

ejburger.....if you don't know what Popoff did, you must not be from around here!

This article was one week before the election and ten days before Popoff, Forcht and Kiester were sworn in. There is NO question where the candidates stood on the STRP, Hall is just starting a dirty campaign and needs a scapegoat to attack. Exerts taken from a NDN March 13, 2006 article.

By Billy Bruce (Contact)
Monday, March 13, 2006

The field consists of Joe Batte, Heyward Boyce, Ted Forcht, Chuck Kiester, Rob Popoff, Joe Simons and Steve Stefanides. Boyce served a four-year term on the council, but was defeated in his re-election bid in 2004. Stefanides lost his first bid for a council seat in 2004. The rest are newcomers to the city's political field.

The candidates are as split on the issue as the current council. The sewer program lives or dies when county elections officials announce the results Tuesday night.

Forcht, Batte and Kiester are against the sewer program because they don't believe city waterways are at crisis pollution levels that would warrant such a program. They believe the current council hasn't done its homework on the benefits of sewers over septic systems.

Simons, Popoff, Stefanides and Boyce, however, favor getting rid of septic tanks. They believe that environmental agencies such as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the South Florida Water Management District, The Conservancy of Southwest Florida and others are right when they warn that septic systems don't operate properly and pollute waterways when located in low-lying coastal areas like Marco.

"Saying that septic tanks treat wastewater as well as sanitary sewers is just flat wrong," Simons said. "I know. I've built sewers."

The pro-sewer candidates aren't sure whether the city is trying to do too much too fast, and wonder if there may be a more fair, equitable way to charge residents for the connections.

Boyce favors slowing down the seven-year program.

The Collier road construction project has drawn the ire of residents who live in condominiums along the busy four-lane road, as well as business owners whose shop-fronts align the boulevard.

The city plans to finish the project by December 2007, but all seven candidates oppose the city's continued use of the former Glon property — site of the future Veterans Community Park — as a staging area for project contractors.

Popoff, Simons and Stefanides have backed off making such promises, promises they say they can't keep, because they know they can't possibly please all the people all the time. They say they'll be good listeners but will make decisions based on what they believe is right for Marco after they've studied the issues and heard the varying viewpoints.

HappyHarry, I've been around here much longer than I would like to admit. I was here when the only bar was the Islander and I could eat clams off of my sea wall because the canal water was so clean. I was here when MITA was started and when, for a short time Fay Biles actually let Russ Columbo be president of MITA. At one time I was a member of MITA. I was here at the inception of the city during the Ed Day, Kjell Petersen days which were equaly as ugly as the contention we have now. And I was here when the last election took place and Popoff, like the srticle above states, was in favor of the STRP.

I am pleased that Hall threw his hat in the ring becasue it will be pleasing to see him under the microscope. Politicians say virtually anything to get elected, remember, "read my lips, no new taxes?" Hall will promise anything and attack anyone who gets in his way, unfortunatly that is his nature and remember a vote for Hall is a vote for Godfrey Davies.

Next I expect that Neylon will announce his candidacy, at least Neylon has his own opinions and ideas and will not be a puppet. But like Hall, Neylon is new to the island and spends the bulk of his time outside of Marco, at least Batte acutally lives here.

Let's see, we have 85% of the Island contracted for sewers. I submit that STRP is NOT an issue and without the STRP issue, Hall and Batte have nothing to offer for the future of our City. Let's see, or should we make the STRP the major issue which would benefit the citizens of Marco as 85% SHOULD VOTE FOR CANDIDATES THAT SUPPORT THE STRP SO AS TO SHARE IN THE COST AND FUTURE OF MARCO WITH AS MANY CITIZENS AS POSSIBLE. Hopefully, the 15% (2,000) will be just that and we can get a Council that will keep moving our Island in a positive direction.
So, I guess I would say to Mr. Batte and Mr. Hall, keep expressing your opposition to the STRP and your deisre to stop it as much as possible !! By the way, we will certainly publish your comments over the past two years on this issue so as many Islanders as possible can see wheer you stand in leaving them (the 85%) holding the bag. Thank you for running gentlemen. Oh, Mr. Hall, are you going to offer your property as a storage site for treated wastewater so we can do what you recommended as a result of your interview with Coral Springs officials ?? Or, should we publish the letter from the Collier County Water manager that stated that you mis-quoted him. Or do you want to keep quoting individuals that have everything to gain from continued development of Marco island (Collier County officials).

Geezer, it is common knowledge on this island that the reporter's story you quoted had a bias supporting the City. That is probably why he was fired. You will not win any converts quoting his writings. Popoff told us that he would stop the STRP until he was able to study the way we paid for it and make it more equitable. His first vote was to do the opposite. He never stopped or delayed the STRP as he promised. Many of us fell for that promise and we let him know how disappointed we were with his vote at the time. He even received a letter from former MI politicos severely reprimending him for using their support in such an underhanded way. It was a classic bait and switch act to garner votes, it exposed his lack of integrity early on. If he had been honest like the other anti-STRP condidates many of his votes would have gone to Batte and the STRP would have been dead. That's history. By the way, Mr. Hall does not lie. Has your hate clouded your mind so much you no longer understand what a lie is? If you want what the current leadership is doing to continue then do not vote for Mr. Hall. By the way, stop voting 8 times every time you sign on to this site. That is dishonest to say the least.

Last time I checked there will be 1,000 sites completed at the end of this year. That leaves 5,500 to go. I expect that a lot of contracts will be awarded this winter in an effort to bury us in the project. It still will be cheaper to cancel the contacts than to move forward. The next council will stop the STRP. The question is how much damage are the current members willing inflict on the city to try and trap us into continuing with this absurd project.

Thank all of you that have called, e-mailed and responded in a positive manner on this site. I appreciate and need your support.

I believe the issues at stake are more important than simply serving as fodder for anonnymous banter on this site. I invite all interested parties to visit my web site www.voterogerhall.com and go to the blog. My positions are clearly stated and I will respond to your questions there.

Thank you,

Roger Hall

Popoff did nothing wrong and you know it. Is this the first time a politician disappointed you? In the mean time Hall and Batte are setting themselves up to promise the world and not deliver. Political candidates get elected and find out they are not as quite sharp as they think they are. And let's be honest, if Popoff didn't run Stefanites would have beat Batte. My recollection is that he got more votes than Batte. In addition, does Hall need to run his campaign on attacking those that disagree with him while saying that he doesn't like name calling. As for voting eight times, I wish you would tell me how to do that!

A biased reporter, like Bania? What does that have to do with a political stance. Billy Bruce did not get fired. One lie and spin after another from you people. Just like the accurate article stated, Batte, Forcht and Kiester were aginst the STRP and the other candidates supported the sewer program. The candidates in the past election were clearly entrenched in their stances. Keep up the good work with the negative propaganda and lies it will only help the honest candidates that run for office.

GEEZER, (and your 7 other aliases.)
Did you not know that CARES backed Popoff in the election under the FALSE pretense that Benedict Popoff promised to halt the STRP 'till there was sufficient evidence for its need?'

I guess birds of a feather really do flock together.

Marcofacts: get your facts straight. One day Billy Bruce was there the next he was gone. We call that being fired where I come from. Don't campare Bania with the prostitute Bruce. Bania has real talent and doesn't care if the city feeds him or not, there is plenty of "negative" work going on in City Hall that he doesn't need any help from the CM. He tells it like it is. It is not the fault of our citizens that this story has a "negative" twist. The City has been making all the news during the past two years and it has all been negative. If any candidate runs to support the current Council and it's activities, they can't possibly be honest, can they? The city has already proven that it is self-serving and interested only in spending our tax dollars as though those dollars belonged to the Council. MarcoFacts, it is time to be honest. Stop your spinning.

Geezer, being dishonest is a crime in my book. But then I hold my elected officials to a higher standard then you do. Popoff lied to his consitutency and thus stole votes from other candidates to achieve his ill gotten goal. He has no integrity. Geezer, tell me something. How is a candidate running against the policies of the current crowd going to be successful without showing the obvious? Of course candidates are going to be aggressive and hit on these policices and the intentions of those who designed them. That is what this election is all about. The current Council and City Manager have left our city looking like a war zone. It stinks, it is contaminated with hazardous waste and owes more money then we can pay off in a hundred years. That is the legacy any candidate must deal with. Don't vote for Mr. Hall if you like what you see.

CARES never backed Popoff period. They campaigned against him. What a down right lie. Typical politics, I guess Hall can't get elected on his own merits so he needs to get elected by making up faults with our current leadership.

Ray Beauford, Soloman, Geezer, sailingalong, etc. we all know you are the same bitter, hateful judas that turned against the malcontents. If you remember, you were as angry as everybody else on the island with Popoff's vote for the STRP. It's people like you that hide behind multiple aliases to spread distortions and hate that undermine the quality of the debate. We all know your track record as a leader. Why don't you use your energies to take care of your family instead of telling us how to run the island? Please take your crap and go "sailingalong"

This is my first ever try at this. My husband tells me that the people who write in this blog are mostly frustrated wannabes that haven't got the guts to run for Council and just want to make noise.

He may be right, I keep seeing the same people harp on about the same stupid thing. The person who claims that someone isn't a voter, and keeps going on about it should check the voter list in Naples. It's easy to do, just walk in and there's a terminal right there and they'll show you how to do it. I've done it.

My husband and I, and many of our friends and neighbors voted for Rob Popoff. We thought he was a breath of fresh air, a good looking young man with a lot of energy. My husband knows Tom Owens, who is now married to Rob's mother, a very nice lady, with a wonderful family.

I don't care what the writers in here say about Rob and what he did, and what he implied. I know what I and everyone else heard and read, which is why we voted for him in the first place. Words cannot describe the shock, disbelief, disgust, and feeling of betrayal, we have all experienced since that first Council meeting when we all saw for the first time the real Rob Popoff and his real agenda. Whoever helped him with a "switch and bait" plan is a devious, cunning person with no morals. I don't think any Popoff would have behaved like this, somebody put him up to it, and he went with it.

He made a mistake that he has to live with, because no one I know would ever trust him again with anything.

My husband is friendly with Ray Beaufort, who is a nice man that follows all the goings on with the Council. Somebody has to keep an eye on them and Ray is the man for the job. My husband just showed me a letter that Ray sent to somebody talking about Rob Popoff and this one paragraph tells me all I need to know about what happened at the last election.

Tarik.

You are truly an intellectually challanged preson. Did you actually think that we would let you join with us to take back our island. HELLO!! I was being facetious when I invited you to join us. Your vision for the future of Marco Island is far from our vision. This group of so called "malcontents" as your minority calls us wears that badge proudly.LAST ELECTION WE DEFEATED EVERY CANDIDATE YOUR MINORITY GROUP HAD THROWN AT US EXCEPT ROB POPOFF AND HE HAD TO LIE TO THE PUBLIC TO GAIN THE MARGIN NEEDED TO WIN AND I ASSURE YOU THAT WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.
Ray Beaufort.

I'm looking forward to this next election, looks like the campaign has started. I'm voting for Hall and Batte. I voted for Batte last time and I like what he has to say. Roger Hall tried to make a difference to Marco with the recall, I think that went away, but Roger Hall didn't and he isn't giving up on Marco. All my friends and neighbors and even my husband is sick of what is going on, we need to change that!!

Thank you for reading my first blog, my husband will be mad at me, but he'll get over it.

I have it on good authority that someone very close to the top of CARES really did vote for Popoff. Many were fooled, including those who
believed four anti STRP candidates were enough. Tucker sure blew that idea out of the water too. Do you think Tucker put Popoff up to it?

Lolala, if being dishonest is a crime in your book how then could you possible back Hall? He lied about the John Glenn letter from the Sierra club and he also lied about his conversation with Mr. Rech from the county Health Dept.? The facts are the facts, stick to your standards or to quote Ed Foster and Lolala "Put up or shut up!" The fact is, you can be given facts in black and white and still manage to spin them. It will be a very interesting campaign and hope for your sake Mr. Hall is ready for some VERY direct questions during candidate nights!

Come on Barfieldfly, it's pretty obvious that all your posts sound like you're the same person so let's be honest, if in your case it's possible. Hall has no platform so he will just run a negative campaign in hopes of winning at the expense of someone else. Doesn't work but have at it! And don’t worry yourself with my vote. One thing is for sure, my wife and I will NEVER vote for the dishonest newcomer Recall Roger.

Geezer, Tinhat has your jock.

What does any of this have to do with Hall and his qualifications?

Beaufort/Geezer and all your other names, Hall didn't lie about anything. John Glen wrote a letter to the council. Hall helped him with it. He didn't forge Glen's signature. Glen doesn't have any problem. What's your problem? Rech did not recant any of the positions that Hall said he took. He did not back away from the statement that the septic tanks are working fine on Marco Island and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future with proper maintenance. You are the hypocritical liar on this blog as the above postings prove. It is a sad commentary for the other side that you are the best spokesman they can come up with. I wonder what they will think of you now your e-mail to Tarik is on display? Have you no shame? If you had any decency you would crawl into a hole and disappear.

The following quotes from Councilman Popoff are taken from the EARN Marco website. Judge for yourself if he misled the voters.

Councilman Popoff says he is constantly being MISQUOTED
Here are some of those misquotes.

Then - - - "I firmly feel that the current process must be stopped until we make sure we have the best system (whatever that system may be...I am open-minded) for the Island .”

Now - - - "I am, and always have been, in favor of completing the STRP; for the record, I never said I would be in favor of limiting the STRP!”

Then - - - “We must stop the current process until the finances are worked out and it is equal for all concerned."

Now - - - “We do not need to stop the STRP to investigate/approve a more equitable way to pay for it."

Then - - - “If I am elected I do promise that I will, with an open mind, look at all alternatives.”

To Reiterate - - - "I am, and always have been, in favor of completing the STRP; for the record, I never said I would be in favor of limiting the STRP!” - - - “We do not need to stop the STRP to investigate/approve a more equitable way to pay for it."

INCONSISTANCY, PREVARICATION, OR MISQUOTED?
WHICH WAS THE MISQUOTE, THEN - - - OR NOW?

Councilman Popoff Campaign Promises

Then - - - "I will create a citizen panel consisting of individuals with different viewpoints in hopes of building a consensus on whether or not we should sewer the entire Island. This panel will objectively look at all possibilities and will report its ongoing findings to the city council. This panel may offer irrefutable proof that septics are better than sewers in which case the council would have to listen.”

Now - - - Although Councilor Popoff did make a half hearted attempt to place a motion on the floor to organize such a panel, as soon as it was opposed he withdrew it, never to be seen again. Councilor Keister has been relentless in his efforts to keep his campaign promises. Maybe Councilor Popoff just isn’t as committed to keeping his campaign promises.

Something said during a campaign is a promise, a statement upon which voters rely to determine whether or not they should vote for a candidate. To abandon those promises after being elected is unethical and dishonest. Councilor Popoff in an effort to avoid those labels continues to say, “I’V BEEN MISQUOTED”

Speaking of John Glen and the Sierra Club, let's all make certain we bring them in on the Septic Tank issue. Mr. Neylon andf Mr. Hall dropped Mr. Glen like a hot potatoe once they found out they could not misquote him and once they found out that, for coastal communities, the Sierra Club is OPPOSED TO SEPTIC SYSTEMS for urban areas. Bring it on Mr. Hall, we have a lot of great people, quotes and issues we want to confront you with. Announcing your candidacy is the best thing you could have ever done for the people that want to keep Marco Island moving forward. Look forward to putting you in the pressure cooker.
Ed Issler

Mr Issler,

This will be my second blog ever and both on the same day. Please take a moment to read my first one, it's just a few spaces up from here. I want you to know that I'm not just some blowhard, venting from frustration, like several of these bloggers who appear to have several aliases.

I have followed City issues for quite some time. My husband knows you and reads most of what you write.

I'd like for you to go to the Election Board in Naples and check the voter roles for yourself to see if Edward Foster is a voter. Then we can get off that topic....forever.

The purpose of my second blog is to ask you to run for City Council at the next election which probably will be in January 08. The campaigning will be starting this fall, I assume, so there isn't much time for you get your supporters together to form a support group. You seem to have all the answers, and are more than prepared to share them with the rest of us. You claim that there's a silent majority out there that supports the STRP and Bill Moss, and everything the Council does. If that is true, then you should be a shoe in for election victory.

However, there does seem to be some question as to your qualifications. From what school did you receive your engineering degree and where did you work in California?

My husband says that you are a good speaker. I think that you are just a good bullsh----- and don't have what it takes to come out in the open and stand up for what you believe in. So, I invite you to prove me wrong, get in the game, and stop your bleating from the sidelines.

tinhat,

Here's a posting from Ray Beaufort shortly after the Popoff flip at the first Council meeting. Your husband isn't the only one that reads archives.

All you revisionists should take note, the records don't lie!

Mr. Beaufort does keep a very close eye on Council activities, and we should be grateful to him for his vigilance. Thank you Ray!!

Posted on August 12 at 8:33 p.m.

Just felt I had to jump in with my two cents. Rob Popoff you lied to the voters of Marco Island. As too your statement that you never stood when asked if you would cancel the current contracts, that's BS. The question was would you stop the sewer project and you are correct you did not stand up. At that time only the South Barfield contract was issued and the email you sent to Gail Day on February 26, 2006 where you said "the current process must be stopped" was after the forums in which you did not stand up making the Gail Day letter your last public position, to my knowledge, on the sewer issue. You apparently must have felt that in order to get elected you had better jump on the anti sewer band wagon. The I did not stand up line you keep trowing around just ain't cutting it.

Posted on August 12 at 8:37 p.m.

Sorry I forgot to sign my name to my last comment.
Don't want to be thought of as a coward like "ILOVEMARCO"

Ray Beaufort

Sounds to me like Roger Hall supporters have nothing better to do than other than throw insults. In the article above Hall claims that:

"Hall’s first priority is to restructure and reform the attitude that the city government has toward its citizens.

"What other council in a normal world would sit on their hands and allow insults to flow freely from a councilman against a citizen speaking from the podium?

Yet, in the same article he slanders both Popoff and Tucker, makes me wonder. If Hall was a true gentleman and a man of his word he would not have done that. He would have also asked his supporters to tame down the rhetoric, after all, it's all politics.

I must agree with Flowerpower, what in the world does any of this have to do with Halls qualifications. What will make him a good representative for Marco Island? As far as I'm concerned he is starting off on a negative note.

Wow, its been two days since Roger Hall announced his candidacy and he is being viciously attacked as though he had committed some terrible crime. He has stated his position and what his plans are. He has never been ambivalent, coy, or has any hidden agenda.
What are you people afraid of?

I admire him for confronting the wrong being done to our community. Thank you Roger and Joe Batte too, for being willing to put yourself out there. Many Marco Islanders appreciate it!

Ray,

I assume you are "Geezer." If I'm wrong, please correct me. That's the problem with blogs that are not signed; it's easy to make a mistake.

Rob Popoff met me at my home before the last election. He spent half the morning with me and assured me that although he thought sewers were probably best for the island, he opposed the way they were being shoved down peoples throats and the way they were being paid for. He assured me that, if elected, he would support an immediate suspension of the program until alternatives could be investigated pursuant to an open discussion, people brought on board in support, and the finances could be assured to be equitable.

CARES, of which I was chairman at the time, did not suppport or oppose any candidate. We offered our website as a place where every candidate could voice his position and most did, Rob included. Those postings are still listed on www.marcocares.com on the Candidate's page.

Neither I nor CARES formally opposed Rob Popoff since we assumed that he would at least listen to alternatives with an open mind even if he did not support them openly prior to election. (Regarding asbestos, he told me he had forbidden his children from visiting anywhere near Veterans' Park and would not walk the site with me because he feared bring home asbestos on his shoes.)

At the first council meeting with the newly installed councilors, Chuck Kiester proposed an immediate halt to the STRP and was shot down on the grounds that the issue was not on the published agenda. He then proposed that the STRP be brought up at the next meeting for discussion and again was shot down with Rob Popoff being in the opposition. This is when I lost all faith in Rob Popoff and entered into an all night e-mail back-and-forth with him. I didn't object to his opposition to the STRP because he never promised me he would support an end to the program. But he did promise he would support a suspension so that a dialog could continue. In voting against Kiester's second motion, Rob voted against even discussing the STRP and I blew my gourd as he can corroborate. This is why I do not consider Rob a man of his word, nor one who can be trusted. His explanation to me was that "things move very fast up there (during a council meeting) and he wasn't prepared. Well then, as Truman said, if the heat's too hot, get out of the kitchen!

Assuming you are "Geezer," Ray, I'm also upset that you should quote Billy Bruce. You were/are the custodian of the City's e-mail records and you know bloody well from them that Billy Bruce was a wholy owned subsidiary of City Hall. How can you quote him against CARES and Roger Hall?

Still your friend,

Ed Foster

Just felt I had to jump in with my two cents. Rob Popoff you lied to the voters of Marco Island. As too your statement that you never stood when asked if you would cancel the current contracts, that's BS. The question was would you stop the sewer project and you are correct you did not stand up. At that time only the South Barfield contract was issued and the email you sent to Gail Day on February 26, 2006 where you said "the current process must be stopped" was after the forums in which you did not stand up making the Gail Day letter your last public position, to my knowledge, on the sewer issue. You apparently must have felt that in order to get elected you had better jump on the anti sewer band wagon. The I did not stand up line you keep trowing around just ain't cutting it.

Karen: Roger Hall has lied and/or made false statements or mis-quoted officials or made statements that are just not true. He made one in the article announcing his candidacy with regard to the sand being dug up for the new sewers. he stated that there was no Septic contamination. Not only does he not know this for a fact (I assure you he has not had the soil tested, for if he had he would be proven wrong immediately as it has to be there), but all the evidence that we do have suggests that he is absolutely WRONG !! Do you or anyone else actuallyu think it is beneficial for us to be putting what you plce down your disposal or tyhe kliquid from your toilets into the ground sometimes noit 60 feet from our canals ?? The water quality has been going steadily downward since the 1980's as has been monitored by the EPA. We cannot atribute this directly to septic discharge, but the chemicals are the same. That is why the entire State as far as coastal communities is replacing septic tanks with sewer. And to use occasional leakage as an excuse not to do it, is absolutely ridiculous. I can show you neighborhoods on Marco where the Septic tanks have not worked properly due to soild conditions for over 20 years. Imagine the smell and environmental damage these have caused. I suggest yo8u check with the FDEP and the new Govenor's office to get a position from the State on Septic Tankls in coastal communities.
Ed Issler

Oh, and by the way, please do not misunderstand my posting above. I think it is wonderful and great that Mr. Batte and Mr. Hall are against the STRP. If they make their positions strong and clear, that should go a long way towards cementing their fate. The majority of the registered voters on the Island are connected to sewers (and rightfully and environmentally so) and I do believe that this majority is looking forward to having us all share in our future. Now suffice it to say that even if we stop the program on a local level, the State will step in and mandate the completion. But in the interim, the stronger their position against the STRP is, the more of the majority will support those candidates that desire all of us to share in our future and to share in the cost of the program. It is not a hard sell at all. So, I suggest to Mr. Hall and Mr. Batte to keep it up !!!! Again, I encourage any doubters to contact the FDEP or the Governor's office to get a position on this issue.
Ed Issler

There just can't be this many masters of misinformation on Marco Island. I think eagleeye has to be Ed Issler or his genetic twin.

For your information Roger Hall has owned a home on this island since July 2005 and not for a week as you state. Are you suggesting that only those who have lived here since 1986 or some other arbitrary date of your choosing should be allowed to voice an opinion.

I can read your opinions and not respond that is my choice. What I can't do is stand by and read your moronic misstatement of the facts without comment.

Ray Beaufort

lauralbi1 aka Ed Issler,

I think you should be very cautious regarding what you say about people that you openly name in public.

Issler, Mr. Hall did not mistate anything when he said there is no evidence that our septic tanks were causing contamination. There isn't. You say there is. Please tell us where we can go to look at it. Mr. Hall backed up his statement when he said go look at the work sites. The City has also confirmed that the foul smell is coming from sulphur and decaying mangroves. The City never said it was from our septic tanks. You are telling lies to support your opinion. Mr. Hall is an honest upstanding business man. He is successful and cares about Marco Island. That is far more than I can say for you. Is it not true that you beleve asbestos that is labled as friable is not hazardous? That sir, is real proof that you could care less what happens in our community. You sir, are the teller of lies not Mr. Hall.

I don't know whether Ed Issler purposely lies or is simply the most ignorant man on Marco Island (including Marco Man). There practicaly isn't a verifiable statement in his blog and some of his comments are totally moronic. He says that Roger Hall "lies" when he says that the sand being dug up shows signs of septic polllution because he "knows" Roger hasn't had it tested. Then he goes on to say that he "knows" it is polluted with household waste ... but he hasn't tested it either. He complains about Roger's omniscience but claims to be more omniscient. This is "science"? Give me a break! The only scientific tests we have are of the canal water and it is NOT polluted or anywhere near becoming polluted. Science does not rely on so-called common sense but upon verifiable fact. "Common sense" would tell you that the sun revolves around the earth and people believed that for millenia. Apparently, Ed Issler still does. Maybe four people on the council still believe it too!

The city has said the horrible stink is from sulfur in the ground water and rotting vegetation. Most likely, the city is correct. If the groundwater has been tested by anyone, I expect it would have been the city or some governmental agency. I think it's safe to say that IF the city found excessive levels of fecal coliform or other dangerous substances connected with human waste in that water, it would have been a banner headline.

Issler, calm down, take your medication and leave well enough alone. Everytime you post a blog the credibility of the city diminishes. If you're the best the incumbents have to offer as defense, even I could get elected to replace this council.

Ed Foster

Whoops! Make that "shows NO signs of septic pollution"

Ed Foster

Thank you Ed.

The contractors have been pumping millions of gallons of water that was immediately surrounding our leaching fields and dumping it into the canals untreated. The City has assurred us that this is uncontaminated ground water and the reason for the smell is the natural furmentation process, this information can be found on the city's web site.

The City has surely tested the water and if it did contain contaminates from the septic tanks they would be requiring the contractor to take it to the waste water treatment plant for processing.

Mr. Issler can place his faith in the fact that the city is testing the water that was surrounding our septic systems and there isn't any creeping pollution from our septic systems into the ground water.

Roger Hall

We now have 2 people that I can vote for. Thank you.
People need to understand this is not all about the STRP. It's about stopping the current idiots from stuffing all their "great ideas" down our throats. It's about asking the people what they want or believe is needed.

Don't remember who said Collier Blvd was flooded but I know I said months ago that I was willing to bet Isslers house that it would still flood. Does it bother me? No. It was fine the way it was. All I see know is a gigantic waste of tax payer dollars that still floods.

I believe it would be prudent for the current council to halt the STRP where it is now in the face of inevetable change coming. Our friend the VI says Hall has 2000 petitions. That is false. He has 10K plus. Though each is counted 3 times. Registered voter raw numbers must look to be about 3,800 individual votes. Approx. 6000 people voted last time and by my count 3,800 is a majority. No I do not have a crystal ball but I would say change is coming! Maybe we can find Marco man after the election and pull him down with one of the many new city trucks and drag him through the streets of Marco after the changing of the leadership!

strike3,

That's a great post. Nothing like a little humor to raise our spirits. The appearance of two viable candidates for the next election is a very good indication that "change is coming". For far too long we've heard the same old story from our leaders and from City Hall.

This next campaign is going to be electrifying, the stage is set, with web sites, interactive blogging, streaming video and opinions from the candidates on the latest "Monday Night Follys"

So if anyone is thinking of selling your home, and pulling the plug on Marco.....you will miss out on a great event, the "Bringing back of Marco".

Stay tuned, we've only just begun.

Godfrey Davies,
394-7200.

Thank you,

thank you for seeing it for what it was intended. It would be very funny to see NBC 2 live on Marco showing residents tieing ropes to marco man preparing to pull him down and through the streets.

Where are you Marco man?

Roger
When will the lawn signs come out ,would love to post for you.Need to clean house,we need to take back our city from these so called leaders(Popoff,Tucker,Moss,Reinke).We need to put this island back together like it use to be.

Mr Issler, your city council had opportunities all along to make proper decisions, but chose not to. We asked for testing to be done to show pollution. They refused to do that. When the asbestos contamination was brought up by Roger Hall at the council meeting, they chose to ignore him, deny that it occurred, then charged that citizens had planted it there. Think about the opportunities they had to act in the best interests of all of us and chose not to. And you wonder why lawsuits get filed?

Karen, I could be wrong but I believe you would make an excellent canidate for city council.

Yes Lowus, you ARE wrong. Will you be her Political Strategist?

Yes and some of the present councils' family members should be in jail.