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More Letters

• Letter To The Editor: Marco Island ‘under construction’
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In keeping with contemporary world events, City Councilor Charles Kiester deserves a gold medal for his world-class guest column: “Caught in the Middle.”

Compared to the myriad of op-eds, commentaries, e-mails, blogs and letters penned by current and former City Council members wallowing in self-importance and their self-aggrandizing, fawning sycophants since 2004, Councilor Kiester captures clearly, with poignancy, empathy and understanding, what the majority of concerned citizens have expressed increasingly since 2004: Give us a break!

Without a hint of rancor, meanness and vitriol, and in the absence of ad hominine slurs, baseless reprimands and silly bumper-sticker rhetoric, Councilor Kiester confronts the critical issues facing Islanders today and tomorrow.

In brief, he focuses on the tenuous dependence our citizens have on invested wealth, fixed incomes, changing full- and part-time job markets and, at best, a murky real estate bazaar. He reminds us that we have been overtaken by national and international events that fiercely impact on the well-being and independence of current and future citizens of our fragile barrier island.

He simply asks: Why are our elected officials so hell-bent on muting our collective abilities to select among our free choices of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in a place called Marco Island with more taxes and fees to support already bloated public services and questionable approaches to municipal development?

That question defines the worthy vision our elected officials should consider now in 2008. Indeed, it should become our priority template for our second decade as an independent city. To wit, I recommend that Councilor Kiester’s “Caught in the Middle” column be entered into the official record of our Council’s Aug. 18 budget meeting. All of our City Council members via open discourse should respond to and vote openly for/against their colleague’s meaningful message. Indeed, all concerned citizens would welcome such a unique, remarkable public policy event at their next City Council meeting.

Don’t we, the people, deserve such a break?

Sayre Uhler, Marco Island