Nonpartisan voter guide
Before each election, the nonpartisan League of Women Voters reaches out to every candidate with thoughtful, well-prepared questions unique to that candidate’s race.
The League of Women Voters publishes a nonpartisan voter guide with information provided directly from candidates in local and state races. Candidates’ responses to questions are published online, and the League of Women Voters does not edit those responses. They are published exactly as they are submitted by the candidates who chose to respond. Vote411.org allows voters to easily access candidate information and create a customized ballot that will make voting easier. To prepare for the August 18th primaries and get your Personalized Voting Guide with links to candidates’ responses in the races you will be voting on, go to www.vote411.org.
The future of our families, our communities, and our country is at stake. No matter what zip code we live in, our voices are equal at the ballot box, and we could all use some help making sure our voices are heard. We are more likely to vote when we know who the candidates are and where they stand on the issues. Vote411.org is a place where voters can access information about which voting district they are in, create a personalized voting guide, and learn about the candidates they can vote for.
The League of Women Voters of Collier County is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization that empowers, supports and informs voters.
Teresa Stohs, Estero, president, LWVCC
Hyper Club motorsports track
I read with great interest the article by Laura Layden on July 25 about the proposed Hyper Club motorsports development. I believe this proposal deserves careful and objective consideration rather than either automatic approval or automatic rejection.
As someone who enjoys driving high-performance cars on a track, I see a genuine need for a professionally managed facility in Southwest Florida. At present, enthusiasts from the Naples area often travel several hours to venues such as Sebring or Homestead. A local track would provide a safer, controlled setting for high-performance driving rather than leaving drivers to explore their cars’ capabilities on public roads. It could also create jobs, attract visitors, add another high-quality recreational asset to the region and generate additional revenue for Collier County.
This proposal also differs from building on completely untouched land. The property has contained a vehicle test track since the 1980s and has previously been used by Ford, Harley-Davidson and Chrysler. Reusing an established automotive site is, in principle, more sensible than developing an entirely new location.
That does not mean environmental concerns should be dismissed. The property is close to the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, Picayune Strand and other important conservation areas. Questions regarding wetlands, drainage, wildlife movement, lighting, noise and traffic are legitimate and should be answered with credible evidence rather than slogans from either side.
The developers should demonstrate that the project can meet reasonable environmental conditions. These could include sensible measures to manage stormwater, noise, lighting and wildlife movement, while still allowing the facility to operate successfully. Any requirements should be practical, proportionate and based on credible evidence rather than imposed in a way that makes the project unworkable.
Environmental groups also have an important role to play, but that role should include pragmatism. Protecting Southwest Florida’s natural environment does not require opposing every development near sensitive land. A more constructive approach would be to identify the most important risks, propose workable solutions and recognize when a project can be improved rather than simply stopped. Compromise should not be seen as abandoning environmental principles; it is often the best way to achieve meaningful protections while allowing communities to grow.
Southwest Florida does not have to choose between economic and recreational development on one side and environmental responsibility on the other. With sensible planning, transparent review and proportionate protections, it should be possible to achieve both.
The Hyper Club should therefore be judged on the quality of its final design and environmental safeguards — not rejected simply because it involves automobiles, nor approved without proper scrutiny.
Stephen Merrick, Naples
The problem with ICE
The killings of Lorenzo Araujo and Johan Guerrero at ICE traffic stops in one week have brought Trump’s version of ICE to the forefront again. These masked, unidentified, poorly trained but overpaid villains are often riding in unmarked cars, not wearing bodycams (despite enormous funding), and ignoring the need of warrants. They often break windows, drag people from their cars, and beat them.
There are other problems. Accountability is one of them. In the killings of Renee Good, Alex Pretti, Lorenzo Araujo, Johan Guerrero, and others; no one is allowed to collect evidence and prosecute except ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (ICE’s boss). This is like allowing the fox to guard the henhouse. There need to be independent investigations.
Additional problems include deporting people back to dangerous home countries, putting people in horrid detention camps and not keeping accurate records of what happens to people (Disappearing people).
What is overlooked here; The real problem here; It is that this is happening primarily to brown-skinned people. Let us look at the broad picture here (not just the individual problems) related to brown-skinned people.
Disappearing, detaining, prison camps, and deportation of large numbers of brown-skinned people, 70 percent of whom do not have criminal records, are upstanding members of their communities and are working toward citizenship; all this amounts to the ethnic cleansing of brown-skinned people.
Please speak out against this and vote in August and in November for those who will stop it.
Herman Lawson, Naples, chair, Cornerstone Immigration Mission Team
Mangrove destruction
Sunday’s opinion “mangroves illegally massacred at seven islands” was well done and a fairly good history timeline, but as with the Cassani statements in the excellent article by Venessa Norris, it contained debatable information concerning the removal of the barrier and eventually the lock. The years-long multimillion dollar study NSEMA demonstrated two things, 1. The spreader never functioned as desired; 2. Sea level rise created dynamic forces that were responsible for increased erosion in the entire system.
Most of the rest of the opinion piece I can go along with, and Cassani’s statements other than blaming the removal of barrier for polluting Matlacha are right down the middle. There has been sedimentation in the proposed dredging area and that would have been far worse had the barrier been left in.
The science demonstrates the polluted water had millions of rapid access points to the waters of Matlacha with the barrier in. The science demonstrates that the waters of Matlacha are the waters of the Cape at Mean Higher High Water tide stage. Almost everything west of the spreader is overtopped at these tide stages. That is a big change since 2010. A super big change from 1977 when heaving mining equipment was working out in that area on the firm dry land. The ten hottest annual global temperatures have been recorded in the last ten years, that’s in 177 years of data. MIT says they are very likely the hottest in the history of the planet based ice cores.
The opinion piece also mentioned, Kevin Erwin. I have a great deal of respect for both of these fine scientists, Cassani in particular for his zeal. We were on opposite “sides” in the years long study. It was my very basic leveling survey that demonstrated the insurmountable problem in the defense of the spreader. For the surveyors out there, the spreader design control elevation was actually 0.76′ LOWER than people realized.
We do indeed have some heroes, Erwin and Cassani for sure. Sixteen years ago I thought Erwin a bit daft defending the desired function of the spreader. Years later and after ongoing study, I came to understand it was the best that could have been done at the time and prevented even more untold damage. In 1977 contemporaneous sea level rise had not yet appeared in the scientific literature; that was not until four years later. So thanks Mr. Erwin for our fringe forest you saved. The drill site at Pumpkin bay is a unique park and thanks for that too.
I don’t blame John Cassani or Hannon for taking a shot at the Cape, the water quality is bad and getting worse and all the misguided Cape does is look for supplemental irrigation water which eventually nutrifies the canal water. As a city we do nothing to promote xeriscape or living seawall concepts. We agree on everything and maybe I can convince both that Sea Level Rise, the black mangrove response and erosion are now a bigger concern to the mangrove forest, Matlacha and the pass than the horrible, impaired water. That is how rapidly things are changing.
We certainly agree that the Seven Islands is grossly overdesigned and a marina and 110-foot yachts are not going to happen in this especially sensitive environmental area. We have a bad actor developer in the bad actor city, if we work together maybe we can effect a change. Regardless, thank you all you men for your many years of great work, hopefully you will continue to help the Cape to stop shooting itself in the foot, over and over.
David Scott, P.G., Cape Coral
Child drownings
Regarding your article on child drownings in Florida, why aren’t the primary causes for such drownings never really emphasized? These include parent (or guardian) inattention, excessive alcoholic consumption negatively affecting child supervision, totally irresponsible parenting, total lack of parenting skills, etc.
It’s tragic how oftentimes the drowned child is found on the bottom of a pool, when no one even knew the child was in the water! What responsible parent or guardian doesn’t know the location of their children when there’s a pool on the premises?
But it’s a fact than the primary cause of child drownings is the total lack of parental attention and thier ultimate responsibility to supervise their small children at all times, especially when a pool or body of water is nearby! No one else is to blame!
Albert Dzermejko, Ave Maria
Mike Pedersen for Congress
There are ten Republicans running for Congressional District 19 because it’s an open seat. Congressman Donalds is running for governor. Only two of the ten have been a Lee County resident for longer than five years. One has deep pockets for political ads, the other has used shoe leather to be everywhere. Mike Pedersen is a retired Top Gun Marine Flight Officer who has served this country and continues to serve within our community. Mike is known as a nice guy, and he is. But he shows his strength and leadership skills when he doesn’t agree with someone’s views. It’s said he doesn’t have D.C. connections, But what he doesn’t talk about is the fact his son works for Department of War Pete Hegseth. We all need to get behind and elect Mike Pedersen to be our voice in Congress!
Marilyn Stout, Cape Coral
Trump wannabees
Congratulations to Republican party: a slate of candidates that are mere morphs of one another. Their websites may provide a bit more; however, most voters respond to the advertisements, and those all emphasize that they are all Trump minions (sorry Pixar Minions, I actually respect you more). Whether I agree with Trump’s policies, I want a representative that represents me and my district, not only on national issues but local issues. Outrageous home insurance, Social Security, Medicare, etc., are all national issues that many, if not most, Floridians, are concerned with, so let’s address those. Immigration is an issue; however, if all the a “illegals” were gone, SW Florida would be a very different place. Does anyone really believe that those state, county and local subcontractors as well as private contractors that do most of the manual labor, i.e., roofing, landscaping and the like, employ only legal immigrants? Immigrants provide a huge benefit to our “American” workforce and do what most American do not want to do; yet, they remain “illegal” because of politics, well, bigotry.
Looking at the governorship race, another TRUMPER. Desantis was a good soldier and Daniels proclaims that he will be too! Is that what we need? I understand David Jolly has switched to the Dems. How about that: a Republican that actually cares and is willing to switch parties to make a difference and one doing so in the interest of the state! How novel and refreshing in light of a slew of Trump wannabees!
Edward Welch II, Naples
Disastrous decisions
It’s late winter/early spring of 2020, the start of the COVID pandemic. President Trump, during numerous formal pressers , claimed that very few Americans were ill from the Chinese virus and it will be taken care of very soon. As the casualties mount up one by one, then by tens of hundreds, then thousands, Trump continued to claim that the virus would be gone by Easter (with the wave of his hand). Months pass until the election of President Biden and, at last, Americans are vaccinated and the virus is suppressed – after millions of deaths in the U.S. and around the world.
At this, Trump displayed an utter lack of competence while failing to tell the country the truth. In his ignorance he even urges Americans to distrust the medical and science experts. This disaster had a central role in his losing the 2020 election (not fraud).
Consider the Iran war. President Trump claimed we would be victors over Iran in a few weeks. After that, a few more weeks. And on and on. Meanwhile, as in the COVID crisis, the troop deaths are mounting up. A few here, a few there, and now nearing 20. Recognize the pattern?
On November 3, Americans have the power to weaken Trump’s power to make unwise, disastrous decisions that cause our troops to perish. These are not war games; these are our neighbors, family and friends who are dying.
Please cast your vote to bring back government competence and peace. Vote in the primaries on August 18, and the general on November 3.
Robyn Cook, Sanibel, Board member Floridians for Democracy
Cape Coral Council election
Lest we all forget, on December 12, 2023, the Cape Coral City Council passed stipends (essentially pay raises) of $3,333/mo. for council members and $5,000/mo. for the mayor without public discussion. The motion passed with all council members including the mayor voting for the measure with the exception of Robert Welsh who voted against and Dan Sheppard who was out of the room and absent for the vote.
Richard Carr, who joined the council after the vote, rejected the stipend money and never received the funds. Dan Sheppard, who was not present for the vote, returned his stipend on January 17, 2024 and took no further funds.
The stipend was repealed on November 20, 2024 with the help of a new election for council members who ran opposing the stipend. Voting against the repeal were council members Keith Long, Bill Steinke, and Mayor John Gunter.
Those who supported the stipend are all long gone except for our Mayor John Gunter. Having never been able to vote myself a pay raise of $60,000/yr, I took great exception to the stipends and vowed to never again vote for anyone who supported the stipends. So we come to the primary election and John Gunter is back along with five challengers. Dan Sheppard, who did not take the money, is running against him.
The problem here is name recognition. I would guess that Mr. Gunter has to be thrilled to see so many candidates running against him. After all, his name has been in the press since he was initially appointed in January 2021. As the vote is split among the candidates with little name recognition, John Gunter may very well sail right through to another victory. If he gets just one vote more than one-half of those voting, he wins the seat outright without a general election in November.
I personally have not researched all of the candidates but I do know that Dan Sheppard has served faithfully on the council and that he refused the money. He has at least some name recognition.
Let your conscience be your guide here. If you really like the job John Gunter has done, by all means, vote for him. Otherwise, let’s throw out the guy who took the cash.
T.J. Thomas, Cape Coral
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: League of Women Voters offers nonpartisan guide | Opinion letters
Reporting by Letter writers / Fort Myers News-Press
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By Letter writers | USA TODAY Network
