Letters to the editor for Saturday, November 5, 2022 – News-Press
Facts support Collier school incumbents
I have been a full time resident of Collier County for more than 47 years. During this time, I have witnessed both dysfunctional and functional school boards and their respective consequences. Under the highly functional leadership of the current school board, the Collier County Public Schools have never been in better academic and financial shape. Furthermore, the current school board and superintendent are respected and admired throughout our state for academic achievement, stability, innovation and fiscal responsibility. The hard truth is that the challengers know this and consequently have chosen fabrication, misrepresentation and fear-mongering upon which to campaign supported by the few who wish to reshape the culture in their exclusive image and likeness. During my time in Collier County, I have known it to be both conservative and reasonable. By contrast, the challengers advocate an extremist view of conservatism not at all in keeping with the city and county I have learned to love and respect. For these reasons and so many more, I cannot grasp any legitimate and truthful reasons to replace any of the incumbents by these challengers.
My challenge to the editorial board of our newspaper is to stand by the students, parents, teachers, and concerned residents and do the “right thing” by endorsing the three incumbents, Roy Terry, Jen Mitchell, and Jory Westberry, clearly and convincingly supported by facts, rationale, and wisdom consistent with the highest and noblest practices of professional journalism. Naples and Collier County have earned nothing less.
There is too much at stake for the editorial board to remain virtually silent when the facts and the truth are staring it in the face.
George Bond, Naples
Editor’s note: The newspaper has not made any endorsements in the upcoming elections.
Vote against elected superintendent
I urge voters to vote “no” on the referendum asking whether Lee County should change to an elected school superintendent, rather than having the superintendent hired by the School Board.
An elected superintendent might not be well qualified, as the candidate would not need experience or credentials in the education field.
The person would have to be a current resident of the county, which would immediately limit the field of possible candidates. Highly qualified and experienced individuals living anywhere else would not be allowed to run. There is likely a very limited pool of highly qualified people who live in the county.
Otherwise qualified out-of-county or out-of-state candidates would probably not even be considered because they are not likely to want to move here, absent some assurance that they would indeed get the job.
An elected individual would not (except under rare circumstances) be able to be fired by the School Board. A district could be saddled with an unacceptable superintendent for up to four years.
The elected superintendent can have too much power to favor his/her friends in the district and make things difficult for those he/she didn’t care for, even terrorizing some staff. I have seen this happen elsewhere.
Having a superintendent hired by the school board allows the district to draw highly qualified candidates from across the country. It also allows the board to oversee, manage and evaluate the person’s performance. The board could oust an ineffective person if need be. I would encourage voters to vote against an elected superintendent.
Susan E. Hoffman, Port Charlotte
Cindy Banyai for Congress
Dr. Cindy Banyai is the Democrat opponent of incumbent Byron Donalds.
Dr. Banyai is an adjunct professor at FGCU where she teaches Global Issues and American Government. Banyai also owns a small business, a nonprofit consultancy. She publishes a series of podcasts on topics from environmental science to the future of democracy.
Banyai seeks to fully fund Social Security and to oppose current attempts to undercut Social Security and Medicare. She will propose a bill, “Save our Social Security” to ensure the full funding and implementation of social programs to enable seniors to meet basic housing and nutrition needs. Also, Banyai strongly supports pro-choice rights of women. Banyai will work to align federal policy to international collaborative efforts on the environment, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and will support the New Deal legislation that will hold polluters accountable for their actions.
She will seek federal subsidies for preschool and high-quality, affordable early childhood education.
Donalds has come out very strongly against pro-choice. To his credit, he has been active in creating and encouraging efforts to ensure clean water for Florida.
However, Donalds voted against 10 of the 12 bills which were successfully passed during the 2021 session. He voted against the American Rescue Plan Act, For the People Act of 2021, American Dream and Promise Act, Equality Act, Build Back Better Act, Women’s Health Protection Act and the Covid 19 Hate Act.
In the hours after the insurrection at the Capitol, he voted to reject the validity of President Biden’s election. Donalds also voted against the fiscal year 2022 budget and against the impeachment of Donald Trump.
Hopefully, those voters in Congressional District 19 will see the clear choice to elect Dr. Cindy Banyai.
Brenda B. Buckley, Fort Myers
Reject election for school superintendent
I am voting against an elected school superintendent for the benefit of our children. I want the best and the brightest person our tax dollars can afford. I am not convinced that person lives in Lee County. Further, I expect that anyone who would be elected will have to hire a person who knows the state’s laws and has the experience to run a school district with over 100,000 students plus teachers and staff. I doubt they would be the one elected (administrators typically do not make good political candidates).
I am also concerned about accountability. Although proponents say the law states that the school superintendent will follow the direction of the Board, how “gray” could that line become (especially in an election year)?
Too many elections come down to the money raised and not necessarily the ability and experience of the candidate. That is how elections work. Some have claimed that school board members are hypocritical to not support this change because the public voted for them. This point is poorly made since the board members are policymakers and do not run the daily operations.
I am convinced that the School Board members need to do their job properly with better policies and have a capable, non-political manager (superintendent).
I am convinced that an elected school superintendent will not give us a better result than we have today. The elected person will very likely not be the best educated and experienced for this position. I want to see the best managerial decisions and NOT the best political decisions for our children and teachers.
Join me in voting “NO” for an elected school superintendent.
John Albion, Fort Myers
‘Freedom’ if you agree with DeSantis
DeSantis’ recent ads promote his Freedom movement for Florida and Floridians. Freedom is what we, as Americans, crave and many defend, even with their lives. DeSantis stood firm against long term mask mandates and beach, park, and business closures. Left us free to choose to wear or not wear a mask; well, almost, school teachers, administrators and the like were not free to choose what they felt best for themselves and their students. Free to decide health issues, like vaccines; well, almost, not free for women to make choices about their own reproductive health. Free to express ourselves; well, almost, not free to be gay, queer, lesbian, or at least openly. Free to obtain the best education; well, almost, only so long as the books and teachings meet his approval. Hmmm, perhaps it’s a qualified “Freedom” and his real message is that we’re free as long as it coincides with his beliefs, wants, and sense of freedom. The Constitution guarantees and what most Americans want is real freedom, freedom to make choices for ourselves and our families and allow others to do the same for them and theirs. They don’t need to match, but each can live their lives comfortably. If some are not comfortable with the choice of others, it is likely that those others are not comfortable with their choices either. The true price of freedom is accepting others for who and what they are; whether it fits our style or not. Apparently, DeSantis hasn’t figured that out.
Ed Welch, Naples
Electoral College outdated
I think that the Electoral College, as it stands now, is an outdated system. There is no reason we shouldn’t be electing our Presidents by a national popular vote. The candidate with the most votes in the entire USA should win.
Paul Genardi, Fort Myers
Stand for democracy
I’ll borrow from Kenny Loggins. This is it; make no mistake where you are. If you’re still undecided about your vote in the coming election, one question and one question only should loom large in your mind: Is small “d” democracy the defining characteristic of American political life? If it is for you, you need to think long and hard about a vote for Trump era Republicans. These people are very different from the Ronald Reagan, John McCain Republicans of the recent past. They are intent on replacing the will of the people with consolidated, authoritarian rule, and they have been saying the quiet part out loud.
And for those of you who are fixated on the economy, a quick look at “kitchen table” issues in Putin’s Russia might be instructive. With the exception of the leader and his or her cronies, the people fare very poorly in fake democracies, and, absent the corrective of a meaningful vote, they are powerless to address their sorry economic state.
It is sad when self determination and personal agency are taken forcefully from the people; it is tragic when the people throw them away with both hands. We, as Americans, may not get another chance to stand for democracy if we don’t act in the present moment. This is it; make no mistake where you are.
Geremy Spampinato, Naples
Stop violent political rhetoric
Senator Bernie Sanders, June 14, 2017:
“I have just been informed that the alleged shooter at the baseball practice this morning was someone who apparently volunteered on my presidential campaign. I am sickened by this despicable act and let me be as clear as I can be. Violence of any kind is unacceptable in our society, and I condemn this action in the strongest possible terms. Real change can only come about through nonviolent action and anything else runs counter to our most deeply held American values.”
Every single Republican leader should release that type of statement now. No whataboutism, no blaming Democrats on crime, no deflection of blame.
Stop violent political rhetoric, stop using guns in political ads, stop portraying your opponent as the enemy.
Judy Freiberg, Naples
A Florida in trouble needs Charlie Crist
What we are experiencing in America today can be analyzed through the lenses of two philosophers: Thomas Hobbes (17th Century) and Jean Jacques Rousseau (18th Century). The British philosopher, John Locke, rode the coattails of Rousseau and influenced Jefferson and Madison as our Declaration of Independence was written.
That Declaration and our Constitution rest not on authoritarianism, but on the egalitarianism of Rousseau and Locke. We revolted from the authoritarianism of King George in 1776 to form a democracy.
Ron DeSantis wants to return us to a condition over which we fought the Revolutionary War: authoritarianism. The monarch, DeSantis, forbade businesses and governments from mandatory masking and vaccinations. COVID took the lives of over 79,000 Floridians.
DeSantis generates an unrealistic fear of socialism today when our capitalist society will never become socialized as a matter of principle. But, it will become socialized to some extent as a matter of survival. Without Social Security and Medicare, our elderly would now be dying on our streets. When needed, COVID vaccinations were government provided. Climate change will demand more socialism as our individual properties and health are destroyed. Witness Hurricane Ian. We have to rely upon government aid when survival is threatened.
We cannot return to the past without destroying our freedom. Prevent that by voting for Charlie Crist. He will recognize climate change and COVID as phenomena understood by science and seek to protect us as well as protecting the rights of women.
Joe Haack, Naples
Fearful about where we’re headed
One of two things is true: Either the polls are wrong or a huge number of women who vowed not to support anti-abortion candidates have changed their minds. In the wake of Roe v. Wade being overturned, women across the nation vowed to make the coming election a referendum on abortion. Yet everywhere anti-abortion candidates are either winning or running neck and neck with their opponents. How can this be? We do understand, don’t we, that if Republicans take control of Congress one of their first orders of business will be to pass a federal anti-abortion bill? Biden will veto it and Republicans won’t have the votes to overturn the veto, but if a Republican wins the presidency in 2024, you can bet a federal anti-abortion bill will go into law.
Elsewhere, Republicans are busy concocting false narratives to explain the hammer attack on Paul Pelosi, husband of Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House. Republican candidates have joked about the attack, which could easily have cost Pelosi his life and might have cost his wife her life if she’d been at home.
I’m sure decent, honest Republicans are as stunned and saddened by this crime as anyone, but I have news for them: The leaders of their party are smiling about it, joking, blaming the attack on rising crime, not on calls to violence and intimidation from their ranks. The alternative to free and fair elections is violence and I fear that’s where we’re headed as a nation.
Ray Clasen, North Fort Myers
Vote for Charlie Crist
Ron DeSantis is trolling the Trump base which espouses racism and gender prejudices and caters to a mob rule mentality. He altered voting districts to keep voters from access to their Constitution rights. He banned teachings which report historical truth of slavery and he promoted efforts to police schools for evidence of critical race theory which is nothing more than historical facts.
DeSantis proscribed books which recognize the science of sexuality and its natural alterations. His rejection of science greatly contributes to his denial of climate change when the sustainability of Florida’s coastline is at stake. We need to anticipate ecological disasters and prevent them, not wait until we are under water; witness Ian. DeSantis prevented society (governments and businesses) from scientifically protecting citizens during the COVID pandemic by forbidding masking and vaccination mandates to the detriment of everyone, especially the elderly, thousands of whom died.
He established and enforced criminal laws against constitutionally protected protests in Florida. DeSantis is the enemy of women’s rights. He is mirror image of Trump, a white male supremacist. The evidence is his bullying tactics in illegally transporting immigrants around the country. Virtue has escaped DeSantis. Bullying has not because it comes naturally.
Charlie Crust did a much better job when he was governor of Florida. He was a Republican then; he is a Democrat now. What does that mean? It means he stands close to the middle, and as Aristotle said, “Virtue stands in the middle. It does not allow excesses.” Charlie is a symbol of us coming together. DeSantis, like Trump, plays to excesses as he denies the science of climate change. He is not qualified to be governor of a state facing surges from the seas which surround us.
Sally Lam, Naples