Trending
To the editor:
There's a lesson I learned early in public service. Leadership doesn't happen behind closed doors. It happens in the open, with sleeves rolled up, listening and working with the people who make up our community. People who may not speak in perfect soundbites but who know exactly what they need and what the needs of our community are.
That's the thing about democracy. It only works when people are allowed to participate. It only thrives when voices are heard, not just the loudest ones or the ones with titles or wealth, but every voice in our community that stands up and chooses to be heard.
Somewhere along the way, these council meetings, meant to be forums of public discourse, have become too closed, too choreographed, and too conveniently timed for the few, not the many. That's not just unfortunate. That's un-American.
Cape Coral is growing. With that growth comes complexity, challenge, and yes, a higher responsibility to keep the public part of the process, not just as spectators but as participants.
For the past few years, under the iron grip of a mayor more interested in control than collaboration, we've seen city meetings that limit and restrict public comment, boards and committees stripped away to ensure limited public involvement, and fast-tracked resolutions and backroom decisions, like the so-called "stipend" scheme that siphoned taxpayer dollars without genuine public debate.
This mayor and some past council members have treated community input like an obligation instead of an opportunity. That's not governance. That's not what Cape Coral wants or deserves.
Mr. Mayor, public input isn't an inconvenience. It's the job. The new council members have a chance to lead Cape Coral with integrity, transparency, and trust. That starts with listening. And listening starts with access. We need to open the doors wider. We need to extend the microphones a little longer. Let the folks of our great city speak. Let us question. Let us care out loud. Let us work together to solve the concerns of our community.
As this council and its new members look to reclaim the time lost under the previous administration, under this mayor, our community asks you to open up the floor. Extend the time currently restricted. Create more opportunities, not fewer, for civic engagement. Stand up to this mayor's underhanded restrictions on public participation and fight for the people who elected you to do exactly that. Stand up to what the last council did to our city and help return Cape Coral to its people.
Rich Leon
Cape Coral