Letters to the Editors

City attorney is protecting Port Richey

Re: An ill-conceived legal strategy from city attorney, June 16 C.T. Bowen column.

Editor: This is in response to your column on the performance of the city attorney to protect the interests and rights of the citizens of Port Richey with regard to the operation of the city's Building Department. In the interest of adding to public knowledge, let me clear up the confusing and misleading statements in the column, which, if nothing else, belie a woeful lack of intelligence on the issues. Let me state my thoughts succinctly and simply, which I have done before, but which evidently elude the intellectual grasp of the Times editorialist.

A straightforward reading of the report prepared by Michael Quill makes it crystal clear that there were some serious allegations about problems in the Building Department supported by complaints of property owners in the city. I might add, one was recently reported in our newspaper. The primary job of the city attorney is to protect his public client from potential civil liability and to do so zealously. You have no idea what my intent is or isn't with regard to this whole affair, since no one from the Times ever took the time to ask me.

Did you ever stop to think that when City Manager Vincent Lupo wrote the glowing letter of support for his former building official that he was not fully aware of the problems at that time? The more serious complaints have surfaced only in the past year.

I did not realize that C.T. Bowen was such a great legal scholar with years of litigation experience to judge the legal strategies of a 37-year senior member of two state Bars. Unlike the distinguished editor of editorials, who appears to be living in the vast wasteland of mediocrity that knows neither victory nor defeat, the city attorney has had an excellent track record of protecting his public employers from potential civil liability.

This city attorney did not receive the coveted Ralph Marsciano Award from my contemporaries in governmental law in 1993 because of ineptness. This award is conferred on a local government attorney by the Florida Bar committee for special recognition and outstanding achievement.

Nor did the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners recognize me with a public proclamation of achievement, upon my retirement from full-time public service, because of mediocrity. On the contrary, it was awarded in recognition of saving that county millions of dollars in liability costs.

When this city attorney saved Port Richey an estimated $100,000 during the construction of the new City Hall, your paper said nothing. When this city attorney educated his council on the problems associated with the Lindrick wastewater project, you publicly accused me of supporting that obvious bad deal when you knew the opposite was true. The list goes on.

What you, and others at the Times, have engaged in over the years is, in my opinion, a concerted attempt to maliciously interfere with my contracts of public employment.

As far as the Quill report is concerned, Res ipsa loquitur. If you do not know Latin, it means "The thing speaks for itself."
-- Paul Marino, city attorney, Port Richey

Use voucher money to help ailing schools

Editor: Where has common sense gone? When the citizens were asked to vote for the lottery, I foolishly believed the money collected would be used for education in addition to the funds already allocated for education.

It sounded like a sound plan at the time. I hoped we would have more teachers, resulting in smaller classes. I understood that older schools would be remodeled and equipped with modern technology. So much promised but so little delivered.

Well, the grades are out for the schools and the answer seems to be vouchers this time. If the state can find tuition for private schools, why couldn't it find the money for raises, more teachers, tutoring programs? I believe every child is entitled to the opportunity to receive a good education. It not only benefits the child but society as a whole.

However, private school is not the answer. The money planned for vouchers could be better used to address the specific problems in each school that received an unacceptable grade.

In the early grades, great emphasis should be placed on reading and comprehension. In the higher grades, self-expression through language arts and a knowledge of math and science will allow our young people to compete and perform locally and internationally.

I am not a politician or a professional educator. However, it is obvious to me that this problem can only be solved through the cooperation of parents, students, educators and politicians.

These young people are our future. I, for one, strongly feel that education will determine the quality of that future.
-- Patty Stead, New Port Richey

Successful schools deserved spotlight

Editor: As a middle school teacher for learning disabled children in Pasco County, I was quite upset at the local media when the state grades were released last week.

Instead of focusing on the successful schools, all we heard about was the 68 schools that received F's. How about Pasco County? We did not receive one F, and that is amazing considering that our free or reduced-price lunch program is among the highest in the state.

It is amazing considering that at my spring conferences, my parent attendance rate was under 25 percent. It is amazing considering I had to complete an enormous amount of paperwork while teaching, grading, motivating, managing and planning.

Rather than focus on the negative, try to work on the positive aspects of our schools. I work very hard, as do all our teachers, and with limited resources (that is being generous), a degrading benefit plan, no additional money for extra paperwork, hiring freezes that increased my student count in January, and prospects of even bigger classes come August.

We try and do it with class, and a smile. Teachers love their work despite no support (or raises) from our governor. I hope that come November, a change will be in the works because if it is not, an overburdened and underfunded system will continue to struggle, and the ones hurt will be the students.

Let us not punish and take away money from the schools that need it most. If those students have failed, they require more assistance, not less. Wake up, Floridians, and support education, because these students are our future and they need as much help as possible to be successful. Teachers cannot do it all alone!
-- Gregory Sytch, New Port Richey, Hudson Middle School teacher

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