Background.
My family moved to Cape Coral a few months ago. We came seeking a friendly place to live, where costs were reasonable, and opportunity was abundant. We found something decidedly different. I got involved in the local political scene when I saw distraught residents incredibly upset over the amount being charged for assessments.
On the surface, it appeared that we may have been snookered. My family had chosen to move to paradise, but rueful residents claimed it was a “pair-a-dice”. A huge gamble, where unsuspecting buyers come to town, with a great promise, but instead find themselves captured, Venus fly trap style. Not being one to take everything provided to me at face value, I decided to start looking into this supposedly egregious deception.
My first probe into the system was met with a surprising response. I had grabbed the Mayor’s email address from the Cape Coral website, and wrote a quick note to him, expressing my concern. Having come from a larger city, I simply expected a ‘form response’ most likely an automatic one. To my shock, and surprise, the Mayor himself had responded, 21st century style, from his hand held blackberry, inviting me to meet with him, or with staff, to go over any concerns I might have. This sure didn’t sound like the picture that had been painted of a corrupt, incompetent City Administration.
Maybe it was too good to be true! Perhaps this young Attorney turned Politician was a real slickster. Someone with charisma, and charm, but completely controlled from behind the scenes by the wealthy, powerful elite of the city. There were at least a handful of residents who felt this way. There was much talk of ‘Shadow Governments’ and ‘Wealthy Developers’ who had only their self serving interest at heart.
Many individuals are vilified. The press is loaded with innuendo. I attend council meetings, with carefully prepared statements. I tell the council what I expect. I share the outrage that residents feel at being bilked. I demand accountability. Then, a surprising thing happens. I get accountability. I get genuinely interested human beings, trying to do the work they’re charged with doing. Again, I question the veracity of my own experiences. Perhaps there is yet more to this story than meets the eye.
I watched meetings where developers come to express their case for new developments. They expound upon the monies spent to improve quality of life. They share their vision for Cape Coral. It looks and sounds nothing like the Fly Trap that appeared on the surface. It looked like they were genuinely interested. Interested in making money, yes, but also seriously concerned with providing a lifestyle befitting residents of a growing community.
Cries of incompetence seemed to come from every corner. “The city must be mismanaging!” I hear again and again. So again, I start looking. I ask for meetings with City Staff. Again, I am startled by the absolute openness of staff members, and their willingness to meet with me. I hear of cost savings implemented over time. A dizzying array of projects, meticulously pulled apart, with members of maintenance staff, engineers, and management. This had recently pulled over $500,000.00 off of a single project. The Public Works Director was both proud, and passionate. He felt that his people did a good job. He felt that he was treated unfairly by members of the public and press, and yet, he continued to perform every duty professionally. This appeared true of the finance staff as well. The City Manager, often the brunt of attacks, also maintained a professional presence, and was often righteously indignant at many of the attacks on his staff. With the quality of the people I had met, I began to understand why.
Today, I have a refreshed perspective. One which I wrote about recently for a guest opinion column in one of the local papers. I feel that there really are Two Cities that make up Cape Coral. One consists of individuals working hard, and making their way. Opportunities abound, and great success awaits.
Another city, one where individuals are hidebound by corrupt officials, and callous big money, pervades. It persists despite so much obvious evidence to the contrary. It’s unfortunate, but many residents feel it is the case.
I decided that I needed to write about this. Share what I’ve found, in the hopes that some of the residents who live in our second city would choose to come over, and take a look from a fresh perspective. From this, Cape Informer is born.
