Letters to the Editor

+ The three wise men should be congratulated
Dear Editor:
Three wise men came to a special Town Commission meeting Aug. 14, and one of them was a woman. They came to bring wisdom to this town. Instead, they bore witness to the demise of a long-awaited opportunity to bring fairness to the taxpayers and non-unionized employees.

The three gifts they brought supported a realistic view of the burden on the taxpayers:
• The truth in numbers disclosed by the actual cash-flow chart;
• The reality that employees are well compensated;
• A glimpse into the future if this opportunity were to be lost.

Instead, they watched the dismissal of their wisdom and the inevitable demise of a long-awaited opportunity to bring fairness to both.

Ignored were the facts that supporting both the early retirement and DROP program would impact the burden on the taxpayers.  

Succumbing to similar oft-used phrases that “it will only cost the taxpayer an extra $7.19 and we can afford that” has helped to bring us to the present untenable position of huge unfunded debt.

The facts Key resident Shannon Gault, speaking from the audience, disclosed, as well as those carefully documented by Commissioners Phill Younger and Lynn Larson and Vice Mayor David Brenner, the three wise commissioners, were overshadowed by emotional responses from  the other four commissioners.

Those include Commissioners Jack Duncan, Terry Gans and Pat Zunz and a reluctant Mayor Jim Brown. The result is that the town, once again, has been held hostage to unwarranted expenses.  

The opportunity for which the town awaited has passed us by.
Beverly Pottern Shapiro
Longboat Key