Friday, July 30, 2010

The facts outweigh the political smears

There are facts and there are opinions; they clash here daily on the editorial page. During election cycles, they sometimes explode. Example: baseless accusations by a letter-writer about me in a politically motivated smear campaign intended to evoke an emotional response.

Campaigns are fueled by emotions such as hope, hate or hype. It's easier to cast a vote based on emotion, however, it is also important to consider the facts.

Politicking is woven into the fabric of American culture. Adams and Jefferson viewed public education as essential to a vibrant democracy. They envisioned voters would make choices based on fact as well as opinion. Democracy works if we have contested elections and cast informed votes.

As a mom and a Ph.D. scientist, I have always championed kids' issues at the board table. I stand by my record of reasoned, ethical decision-making. Whether the issue is school nurses, academic rigor, new facilities, arts education, teacher pay, class size or employee fraud, I do the research and make my decision based on fact, stakeholder opinion and common sense.

In the next term, our board must keep kids No. 1 in tough economic times and build trust in our new leadership team. If the voters choose, we will move to a board-hired superintendent in 2012. As a seasoned board member, I will continue to be the voice of reason, basing decisions on fact and stakeholder consensus, not innuendo and vengeful political attack.

Debra Walker

Monroe County

School Board

Key Largo

Monroe County needs ethics rules with teeth

A recent Citizen piece on the District 4 County Commission race stated Commissioner Mario Di Gennaro voted to purchase the Hickory House on Stock Island. During a more recent US-1 Radio interview, Mario said he was not yet on the County Commission when it voted unanimously to enter into the contract to purchase the Hickory House. This news seemed to leave Bill Becker at a loss for words. Mario then said that after he got on the commission, he voted to approve the county budget, which included the purchase of the Hickory House and also the Vandenberg. Mario said Commissioner George Neugent opposed the Vandenberg and voted against that budget.

The Citizen piece did not mention that Republican challenger David Rice, personally and through the Guidance Clinic of the Keys, where he was the chief executive officer, made a good deal of money off the county and the Sheriff's Office during his one term on the County Commission. Col. Rick Ramsay, No. 2 at Monroe County Sheriff's Office, was on the board of directors of the Guidance Clinic during that time. David's son, Maj. Mike Rice, No. 3 at the Sheriff's Office, was the sheriff executive who authorized the sheriff contracts with his father and the Guidance Clinic.

As a County Commissioner, David voted to approve annual county budgets, which included the payments to the Guidance Clinic, and annual budgets presented by the sheriff, which included payments to David and the Guidance Clinic.

The Florida Ethics Commission ruled there was nothing wrong with any of that. All the more reason for we, the people of the Keys, to do all we can to help County Commissioner Kim Wigington and State Attorney Dennis Ward persuade the rest of the county commissioners to pass a county ethics ordinance with real teeth. No county commissioner or county employee should be doing business with the county.

Sloan Bashinsky

County Commission candidate

Little Torch Key

Small percentage will select commissioner

When registration closed for this year's primary elections, there were 53,705 eligible voters in Monroe County. Of those, 37 percent, or 19,794 voters, registered as Republicans.

That number or percentage is significant. For all practical purposes, the Republican primary will determine two seats on the County Commission, as non-affiliated candidates are unlikely to mount much of a challenge in November.

Assuming that turnout is less than the 34 percent during the presidential campaign of 2008, or comparable to the 29 percent in 2006, then fewer than 6,000 voters will determine who makes the decisions, great and small, that will affect all of us for the next four years. That is a lot of power for 11 percent of the electorate.

Larry Murray

Big Pine Key