Supervisor  should respond

To the editor,

It is very troubling that the Osceola Supervisor of Elections will not provide written rules for ballot initiatives. Citizens for a Better Osceola is supporting the effort to make County Commission races non-partisan. By taking political parties out of the process, more voters can participate in the election.

Whether you support removing political parties from the commission or not, we can all agree that the Supervisor of Elections should be neutral in the process. The Supervisor should not put additional barriers to citizen ballot efforts and should provide clear documentation relating to petition drives and important election dates. In spite of numerous requests, the Elections Supervisor and staff will only furnish information verbally. What is even more troubling is that different groups are being given different answers. This is why it is critical that rules and procedures should be given in writing.

In January, the Election Supervisor’s office verbally instructed representatives of the Osceola Ballot Initiative group that they should submit petitions for validation early so the Supervisor would not be overloaded with too many petitions to validate late in the process. These instructions follow Florida Statutes and are consistent with the way the election office handles petitions for other elections. In an abrupt reversal, two weeks ago the Supervisor of Elections informed the Kissimmee Chamber verbally that she would NOT validate petitions as they are collected and that once we turn in petitions no more would be accepted. This new policy will make the citizen petition process much more expensive and time consuming. After two further email requests from the Chamber for the rules to be provided in writing all they have received is an email explaining that the Supervisor is very busy and will provide answers after legal consultation.

I am making this public appeal to the Osceola Supervisor of Elections. Please promptly publish the rules and dates for the citizen ballot initiatives in writing. Please do not add additional and burdensome requirements to the process. Over ten thousand Osceola voters have already signed a petition asking that this issue be placed on the ballot. Respect the voters’ wishes and let this election move forward in a way that is consistent, transparent and fair.

Tom Franklin

Chairman, Citizens for a Better Osceola

Commissioners need to make tough decisions for the good of all

To the Editor:

This letter is in response to Robert Bass’ letter advocating the proposed sales tax increase.  

In my original letter, I indicated my predictions for how the Board of County Commissioners and its supporters would try to sell the tax increase.  While Mr. Bass is indeed blaming tourists for the need for this tax increase (my first prediction), he seems to be out of step with the official line on why the money is needed.

The commissioners have clearly linked their pursuit of new taxes to the impact fee moratorium currently in place. Mr. Bass implies that this money would be used to address “road repair and maintenance”.

Since state law prohibits funding road repair and maintenance out of impact fees, it sounds like we are being asked to provide a brand new, previously untapped revenue source for the commissioners’ pet projects.  In legal terms, I think this approach would be called a “bait and switch”.

Mr. Bass also indicates that Commissioner Hawkins has pledged that every cent of this increase will be offset by a commensurate decrease in other taxes, specifically mentioning a reduction in property taxes.  

Here’s the dirty little secret:  a county commission cannot vote to limit the ability of future commissions to raise property taxes within the limits set forth in state law.  This means that, even if all five commissioners voted today to lower property taxes, on the day after the election it only takes a change of heart by three of the Commissioners to vote to raise property taxes back up to what they were before the sales tax increase.

Finally, let’s not be naïve about the options that the county commissioners have open to them in voting for or against this tax increase.  By law, this sales tax increase is REQUIRED to be approved by the voters in a referendum after it is approved by the commission. Each of the commissioners has to pick one of two options.  If in favor of the tax increase, then his vote would be to send it to the people. If opposed to the tax, then clearly his vote would be against the tax increase.

Commissioners are not elected to be unthinking conduits; rather they are there to make the tough decisions that need to be made for the good of all of the people (even those who don’t contribute to their campaigns).

Scott Brooks

Harmony

Arresting the obesity epidemic

To the Editor:

The number of Americans considered obese is expected to rise from the current 34 percent to 42 percent by the year 2030, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine and discussed at Monday’s “Weight of the Nation” conference in Washington.

Diabetes, kidney failure, heart disease, and other obesity-related ailments account for countless premature deaths and as much as 18 percent of the $2.6 trillion national cost of medical care.

(www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/study-predicts-42-percent-of-americans-will-be-obese-in-2030/2012/05/07/gIQAeaDL9T_story.html)

The leading causes of obesity are consumption of fat-laden meat and dairy products and lack of exercise. This is particularly critical during childhood years, when lifestyle habits become lifelong addictions.

A five-year Oxford University study of 2,000 people, published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2006, found that those on a vegetarian or vegan diet gained the least weight. A review of 87 studies in Nutrition Reviews concluded that a vegetarian diet is highly effective for weight loss.

The time has come to replace meat and dairy products in our diet with wholesome grains, vegetables, and fruits and to undertake a regular exercise program. Parents should insist on healthy school lunch choices and set a good example at their own dinner table.

Tony Wells

Kissimmee