| A $13 million
judgment against Key West (that means Key West's taxpayers) is nothing
to rejoice about. We at Last Stand
are not gloating about it, but we have often questioned sweetheart deals
between the city and certain businesses.
The following letter, expressing feelings many Key
Westers must share, appeared in the May 28 Key West Citizen: |
|
We share the blame for $13
million judgment
I have never written to the
editor before but today can't help myself, I have to vent. I cannot tell
you how angry I am after reading about the Duck Tours verdict — a
verdict that any 2-year-old could have predicted. My anger at the [Key
West city] commissioners who voted for this monopoly, Ed Swift for
bleeding this city while giving back so little, at having to pay $13.5
million of our tax money in this judgment, may be justified.
But I'm mostly angry at
myself. For not being involved enough, for turning a blind eye to all
these sweetheart deals going on. Thinking, oh well, that's the way it is
down here. I'm guilty of indifference, and that indifference is costing
all of us. Harry Bethel is crying now about where are we going to get
this money, yelling that we should have settled, but he voted to approve
the contract with Ed Swift. He also voted for Watermark, the project
that, as of now, goes against our own laws. Here is a man that should
have had a political opponent in the last election. No one cared enough.
Myself included. I live in his district. Where was I? Just rolling my
eyes and not doing a thing about it.
Living here for 11 years,
almost every conversation about HTA and Ed Swift I've ever heard has
been negative and angry. After which eyes roll and again we say, "we'll
that's the way it is, what can we do?" The worst part of this whole mess
is the fact that so many of us are afraid to speak out.
Will it hurt our business if
I speak out? Do we care enough to put it out there? Yes I blame myself,
but in a way all of us are responsible for this verdict. Now, this $13.5
million that could go for children's programs or street repair, our
police and fire departments, affordable housing, family services, parks
or education or any one of the hundreds of things our community needs is
now going to pay for allowing Ed Swift to make millions, and we really
only have ourselves to blame.
Richard Grusin
Key West
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