Re: Lacoochee resident wants new community leaders, July 28 letter.
Editor: The letter writer poses many valuable points. There needs to be a relationship of trust between the Sheriff's Office and the community, and Sheriff Bob White is working diligently toward that end with his personal community tours. However, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office is not the governing body of Lacoochee and Trilby. The Pasco County commissioners hold that position, and Commissioner Ted Schrader showed his support by being a part of the Economic Development & Revitalization Project meeting.
The people of Lacoochee and Trilby, as expressed by those in attendance at the meeting, are people who have a deep sense of community and family responsibility. The issues brought to the table are not black, white or Hispanic issues - they are community issues. The purpose of this journey is to provide a better place for the children to grow up and improve the future of our community.
If there are those who feel they are more capable or able to lead this project to fruition, by all means step forward, take your place at the table. There is plenty of room for leaders. This is not an "Isa Blanford" effort but rather a community effort. I have merely tried to bring the players to the table in order to bring about a dialogue for change to begin.
Let's not shoot the messenger but rather exalt the message!
-- Isa Blanford, Dade City
Council's behavior an embarrassment
Re: Argument to disband Port Richey is weak, July 17 editorial.
Editor: I believe you have misread the public feeling regarding the Port Richey police issue. This was not an irrational public reaction to the Matrix report recommendations. Rather, what disgusted and enraged a good number of citizens was the total absence of responsible government decision-making.
There is a hidden hand or agenda at work. Council members Dale Massad, Pat Guttman and Phyllis Grae used the Matrix presentation as an unexamined justification to do what they intended to do all along. If public opinion prevented them from getting rid of the Police Department all at once, doing it piece by piece is their alternative. The 3-2 vote to implement the Matrix report is yet another example of the incredibly bad decision-making on the part of the council majority. Just after his presentation and the vote, Travis Miller of Matrix told your reporter and a number of citizens that he was shocked by the actions of the City Council, that he had never seen another governmental body act like that, and that if he lived in this city he would never personally vote to get rid of the detective. Further, he said his report merely contained suggestions and his cost estimates were guesses.
During his presentation he told council members it was up to them to debate, discuss and determine the hard question of priorities, the level of service wanted and citizens' expectations. Both the council and the editorial would be well served by his comments.
When council voted to implement the report without doing its job of having a serious and thoughtful discussion, without considering the opinions and sentiments of the public, its actions were the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.
The editorial pointed out a number examples of ineptness and petty vindictiveness in Port Richey. The citizens are tired of the continued embarrassment.
The nerve center of the Police Department is dispatch and the key to its rapid response time. The majority of the council's failure to heed the public sentiment to retain the integrity of the police service will once again reflect the majority's private agenda and arrogant disregard for the community.
If the majority of the council fails to reconsider its direction, it is simply the final and most persuasive reason in a progression of reasons to disband the city, which fails to police itself and act like a responsible government.
-- Red Satchell, Port Richey
Condo board ignores many real issues
Editor: As a resident of Seven Springs Villas Association, I not only saw the lemonade stand in action, but read about the girls' forced closing. A bit Scrooge-like, but certainly within the purview of the association as a violation of the condo bylaws. It seemed to me that perhaps some adult supervision could have seen that no harm would come to the girls nor would the lemonade business lower property values rapidly. The business would run its course in a week.
Then it struck me. How come the condo board is enforcing this bylaw and ignoring the others it is sworn to uphold? If a lemonade stand violated, how about the board's fiduciary duty to represent the best interests of the residents?
Why are they proposing to force a recreation agreement on us that would mandate each villa be a member of the golf club and have $88 per month added to their maintenance fee, whether they play golf or not.
There are a ton of other issues in Seven Springs, but our ever vigilant board chooses to stamp out lemonade stands.
-- Jerry McManamon, New Port Richey
Crack down on U.S. 19 speeders
Editor: After driving U.S. 19 daily from State Road 52 to Holiday, I have to conclude the speeders have a better chance of winning the Lotto than getting a speeding ticket.
There is a very simple solution. We hire the Waldo Police Department. With the money generated from speeding tickets, Pasco County could have the best road system in the U.S. We would not need a sales tax increase to pay for our education system and think what we could do for the elderly trying to survive.
-- David Rawlinson, Port Richey
Fiorentino defends Chasco with class
Editor: On July 17, Reps. Gus Bilirakis and Heather Fiorentino and Sen. Mike Fasano held a town hall meeting in downtown New Port Richey. I must commend these three excellent representatives of Pasco County for their efforts in trying to bring to our citizens better services and protection. It was very interesting to observe the shared camaraderie between these three individuals. If all members of our government worked in concert as these three apparently do, our state would be much better off than it is today.
During the town hall meeting, an individual rose and addressed the issue of the Krewe of Chasco during the Chasco Fiesta. The individual felt it was demeaning to the Indian culture that a group of white individuals, who are apparently "well-off," would dress up as Indians and ride a pretend boat during the Chasco parade.
With tremendous emotion and great restraint, Rep. Fiorentino addressed this issue in a way that showed great class and control. She responded to the inquiry in support of the Chasco Fiesta parade and the Krewe of Chasco. She pointed out to all concerned that the community was better off because of the parade and that the Krewe of Chasco showed tremendous respect and concern for the native Indian culture.
There have been many speakers concerning the Krewe of Chasco and the Chasco Fiesta Parade. However, rarely have I experienced any speaker do so with as much class and dignity as Rep. Fiorentino did. She made it clear that no one is being harmed by the Krewe of Chasco and the parade itself is a tremendous benefit not only to the people in our community, but the county as a whole. It was well done and very much appreciated by the majority of the audience.
-- J. Stephen Doran, New Port Richey
Private sales skirt gun laws
Editor: The Dade City gun show the weekend of July 26-27 was a busy place. We counted more than 200 handguns and more than 50 military/assault rifles for sale without a background check when we stopped counting, and that did not include the constant stream of people bringing in handguns and rifles for sale or trade.
I have been asked many times who a prohibited buyer might be. Prohibited buyers are people who have a felony conviction, have an active warrant for their arrest, someone who is under age, or has been adjudicated as incompetent or has a documented history of mental illness. In addition, those who are under a domestic violence restraining order are prohibited buyers. However, at the Dade City gun shows, these people can buy, cash and carry, no questions asked and can be sure they, the seller and the gun cannot be traced.
What about the sellers who have rented a table with sign stating "Private sale" or "Selling private collection?" These are a mixed bag. Some are people who simply cannot afford the cost of a federal firearms license, since it was increased dramatically to help reduce what are called kitchen table gun dealers. Others have lost their federal license for one reason or the other. Others simply hate any government intrusion into what they are doing and refuse to obtain a license, an attitude expressed by most private sellers. These are the same private sellers I see selling at other county guns shows that still allow private sales. They go from show to show selling their private collection, an exemption in the Brady law engineered by the National Rifle Association.
Quite obviously those counties that do not allow private sales in effect send these sellers to Pasco and other counties that still allow private sales. This not only channels private sellers to our county but also those people who know they cannot buy a gun legally or pass a background check.
What about the promoters of these shows? Well, they take what they can. If private sales were eliminated, they would lose the revenue from the sale of tables to private sellers and because more than 40 percent of the tables were selling privately, this would hurt their business.
Pasco is now one of the 100 fastest-growing counties in the United States. If you wish to see this assault on public safety stopped, you must address the only person in this entire state who has been given the legal authority by you to stop this activity - the chairman of our County Commission, Ted Schrader, who to date has refused to bring this issue up for a vote.
-- Arthur C. Hayhoe, executive director
Floridians For Gun Safety Inc.
Join petition for Hallmark Channel after 8
Editor: If anyone is interested in getting the Hallmark Channel after 8 p.m., please contact Bright House. They are in negotiations with Hallmark and I was told that the more people who wrote or called, the more it would help them.
Other counties get this channel at no extra cost and we should, too. So let's get some petitions signed and send them in. Then maybe they won't shut movies off right in the middle.
-- Lorraine Ofiara, New Port Richey
[Last modified July 30, 2003, 01:33:02]
