This morning on “Naples Daily NewsMakers with Jeff Lytle” at 10 on ABC7, Vann Ellison, CEO of St. Matthew’s House, fights back against the Daily News and looks ahead; Christian Tobin, East Naples/Golden Gate firefighter union leader, pushes for consolidation via the ballot box; and Vin DePasquale, owner of The Dock and Riverwalk restaurants, shares a vision for downtown Naples.
Video highlights are
at naplesnews.com/
newsmakers.
Here are excerpts:
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Vann Ellison
Lytle: In Bonita Springs, St. Matthew’s House has pulled away from a controversial site, a former bank.
Ellison: Right.
Lytle: But the owner of the property is keeping the application for a homeless shelter alive, and you’ve said that you wish that he wouldn’t do that because it just raises suspicions and questions: Is St. Matthew’s House waiting in the wings and are they going to come in and surprise us again?
Ellison: Right. We haven’t been in negotiations. We’re not under contract; that’s not us initiating this. And it’s difficult for us, because the crowd that’s opposed to us, they think it’s me pulling a fast one on them ... . And that just keeps the folks who are angry or fearful in Bonita Springs stirred up. And it’s really ... it’s sad for them.
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Christian Tobin
Tobin: We can’t keep re-electing people in Golden Gate and East Naples that have been in these seats eight, 10 and 20-plus years and expect change when they’re locked into their positions.
Lytle: But the firefighters union has helped put these people in power. These used to be your people.
Tobin: Not at East Naples. At East Naples, the firemen weren’t very involved politically, and one of the things about public service I’d like to say is public service is politics. You have to be involved.
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Vin DePasquale
Lytle: There are challenges (to connecting downtown commercial areas) because the Third Street shopping area and the Fifth Avenue South shopping area really aren’t that close.
DePasquale: Very competitive.
Lytle: And it’s a long walk.
DePasquale: Well, it is a walk. But that could be very interesting ... a very interesting walk. If you’re just taking the way it’s laid out now, with sidewalks ... if you incorporate breaks in those areas ... a little park, a little bench ...
Lytle: Make it interesting ...
DePasquale ... Or take it up to the beach. ... Wouldn’t it be fun to have lighting and sidewalks and break areas and directional signs where people know where the next stop is, or what they can choose to do and meander around?
Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group
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