Letter to the editor News-Press, May 09, 2006
Discrimination in Lee
Discrimination is alive and well in Lee County. A number of years ago, the county elected its commissioners by district. To keep the east Fort Myers people from electing a black member, countywide voting was initiated. Single-district voting is a fair way to elect someone to represent the people that live in a district. The stock answer you will get from the seated commissioners is: "But we represent all the people of the county."
With that logic we should elect all of our state representatives statewide and our federal representatives nationally. Today, it is a way the political machine gets to elect their candidates countywide. No political diversity.
That is the way it is in Cape Coral also. Cape Coral is the only city in the county that elects its city council citywide. This voting procedure makes it more expensive to run for office.
Because a candidate has to run in the entire county or city, prospectively, it tends to elect the wealth or those backed by the special interest machine. The charters of Lee County and Cape Coral need to be changed so the people are represented not the wealthy special interest machine.
THOMAS CLARK
Chairman of the Lee County Libertarian Party
