Letters from Readers

There is nothing untruthful about anything that was written. You have as part of the piece: the pleadings from the plaintiffs, the history from the court to date, and the Florida Statute that it is based on.

If you have never been involved in a lawsuit, especially one with a large corporate entity, you have no idea of the expense. 

My opinion is there is very little merit to the plaintiffs' claims. It is about change. The age-old catalyst for fights in Martin County. 

The big boys in Tallahassee have a plan. The latest iteration is to starve local governments of money. The next will be to begin in earnest removing all local control of land use and zoning decisions. That has already started. Within a decade most decisions of what can be built will be made at the state level. There is simply too much money involved. 

The only thing to forestall the above is reasonable decisions by local governments. I believe Indiantown made a reasoned decision. By the way, none of that opinion was in the reporting

Stuart voters deserve to know who Derreck Ogden really is before they accept his latest character makeover. Ogden is now trying to present himself as calm, reasonable, and above the very “pendulum swings” he claims to oppose. But voters should look past the polished language and ask a simple question: does this new image match the way he has actually conducted himself in this community? In my view, it does not. Ogden has not been a unifying force in Stuart. Quite the opposite. His pattern of public conduct has too often been marked by conflict, personal attacks, and a brand of political bullying that Stuart should reject. Voters should ask how his behavior has affected local civic and business relationships, including his relationship with chambers of commerce, and whether his public business record reflects the judgment and steadiness needed in public office. Leadership is not just about slogans or suddenly lowering your voice when you decide to run for office. Leadership is about temperament, judgment, and whether someone has shown the ability to bring people together. Ogden has had opportunities to demonstrate that kind of leadership. Instead, in my view, he has too often chosen division, confrontation, and resentment. Now, with support from the Collins political circle, Ogden is working overtime to appear calm, collected, and constructive. But a character makeover does not erase a pattern of behavior. Voters should be wary of any candidate who tries to reinvent his temperament only when he needs their votes. Stuart does not need more bullying disguised as “concern.” It does not need personal grudges dressed up as public service. And it certainly does not need someone whose approach to disagreement appears to be attack first and unify later, if at all. This election should not be decided by who can put on the most convincing act. It should be decided by character, record, and trust. Derreck Ogden’s history matters. His behavior matters. Voters deserve to know the difference between steady leadership and a manufactured public persona. Stuart deserves leadership that unites, not leadership that burns things down and then asks to be handed the keys.

Good Morning  Tom, I enjoy reading your "Friends & Neighbors, Martin County". The article titled "A Very Special Meeting" paragraph five may have an error in the last sentence.  "Scott and Warner supported Warner". I believe what you meant to write was " Scott and Warner supported Scott". 

Thank you...it has been corrected.