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As a Councilman, I do my best to serve the greater good of all Cape Coral citizens (and those to come) and that is the only promise I made when I ran for the office. We are an "at large" governed city and while one must live in the district they run for, council members are elected by, and expected to represent, all registered residents that vote - and those that don't.
I'm often intrigued when I hear someone say, "you're not listening to us." "Listening" seems to mean agreeing and "us" seems to be those of that same opinion. There is always a majority and a minority.
The minority that didn't want Cape Coral to leave unincorporated Lee County and become an incorporated city in 1970 was 46% of the voters - they were VERY vocal.
The majority tends to stay quiet - publicly.
An unsuspecting mother came to the microphone to show support for putting food and beverage in Jaycee Park and she was told by an "us" - while at the microphone - "You need to go home and learn how to cook!" That is why many communicate with us privately.
It was said after the rollback rate was voted in, "all you had to do was cut the rate and they immediately found the money!" Found the money? Cutting the rate removes income, which in a balanced budget means remove matching expenses -- that's why staff had to scurry around to alter expenses ($2 million plus) in the budget that was to be approved next. No one seemed to care about that -- what if it was your road that needed repaving and now it won't be? Almost all decisions made have multiple facets to be considered, citizens that are effected different ways and always have cause and effect. Most often, the cause is felt before the effect. The benefits of greater traffic flow with a widened road or a better intersection require suffering through the inconvenience of the construction required first -- and collecting the money to pay for it.
We live in a beautiful, safe city. The vast majority of our citizens go to work and play, every day, loving where they live. New and improved recreation areas; new and expanded dining experiences; new and improved entertainment venues; and the list goes on and on.
Will there always be critics that say they weren't necessary, wrong place, took too long, could have been done cheaper (and that list goes on and on as well!) - absolutely. There are always improvements and corrections needed and they can never be accomplished quickly enough. I am committed to those, although in the meantime, I choose to be grateful for and appreciative of our great City of Cape Coral!
Bill Steinke is the Cape Coral City Council member for District 1.