Longboat Key letters to the editor

As we plan our relocation to 447 Burns Court in downtown Sarasota, I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for helping to make the last 2 ½ years a very special time in the lives of our staff, Tito, Liana and myself.   It has been a pleasure to serve and to have had the opportunity to become friends with so many of you.

We have been told by several guests that the new friendships that have evolved with each other has been much like an extension of family.  Certainly this has provided much gratification for the staff, Liana, Tito and myself.  Success is measured in so very many ways other than the bottom line.  We know that great cuisine and excellent service are extremely important,  but we understand that other elements of hospitality are also an integral part of over-all success.

We feel very melancholy about leaving such a beautiful facility on LBK; but at the same time, there is definitely an element of excitement for our new location which we hope to open on July 1.  We look forward to your continued patronage at our new location on Burns Court.

Howard Rooks, Liana Vitorino, Tito Vitrorino

Longboat Key

Political parties should wake up — and reform

Professional advisers providing training and technical assistance to civil society organizations concentrate on four areas to improve governance and program impact:

• Accountability: acceptance of responsibility for decisions made, actions taken and results achieved.

• Transparency: clear, accurate and complete disclosure about policies, programs and finance.

• Tolerance: respect for other peoples’ beliefs, views and practices.

• Advocacy: actions to promote and achieve declared principles, policies and programs.

Most reputable civil society organizations hold these criteria in high regard and monitor their progress in achieving them. Many for-profit organizations and enterprises are now also embracing these criteria, and “social responsible” fund stocks are traded on major stock exchanges.

Applying these criteria to the major organizations involved in American politics (the media and political parties) yields sad results. With few exceptions, currently the major media groups do not even bother to pay lip service to accountability,  ransparency or tolerance.

Advocacy of their agenda is paramount.

The Democratic Party, current party leaders and past candidates appear to be in a feeding frenzy for investigations and impeachment.

The Republican Party continues to flounder in attempts to govern.

Clearly, the American people are confused and angry. Improving or reforming the media may be a lost cause; hopefully, the forces of competition will solve the problem for them. The two political parties should wake up; an internal, frank review of their current actions and emotions of both parties would reveal how far they have strayed from good governance and their pledge to serve the American people.

Internal political reform should replace political rebellion. The country deserves and requires nothing less.

Duncan Miller

Sarasota