Letters from Readers

Kevin Docherty President, Town Council Oceanbreeze

I personally want to thank you for replacing the old Council picture with the most current Council in Friend & Neighbors. And will have to be replaced again not only due to November's elections but a possible deannexation of Sea Walk. Even though we may have different opinions on things but you did state that you would update our picture. 

Tom, I know you like to quote historical figures in your articles so here's one that I will use concerning the replacement of the picture. In March 1942, General Douglas MacArthur promised to the Philippines,that he vowed to come back and liberate the islands in his statement that "I shall return". And being a history major in college I like to use historical items in my everyday life. You were a man of his word. I know it was a minor thing to do so but it's a big thing for our small town.

Respectfully yours,

Donna Dupuy

Of all the comments made during the shameful marathon meeting held to remove Mike Mortell as Stuart’s city manager, the most salient and insightful was Eula Clarke’s reminder that what happens in Stuart affects the entire county – and the Treasure Coast.

With a population of under 20,000 in a county of about 165,000 and a region that is home to over 750,000, Stuart is very often like the tail wagging the dog.

Sure, it’s the county seat. It has a charming downtown, and lots of waterfront homes and restaurants. And, as I have often told newcomers, people in Stuart are almost as special as they think they are. Which means they are not actually as special as they think they are.

My initial encounter with that mindset was about 40 years ago, when I was recruited as a volunteer for Stuart Main Street. At the time, I lived in Palm City. When I wrote my address on the sign-in sheet for the first meeting, the woman taking the information looked at me and said “Why are you here? You don’t live in Stuart.”

Many of us who live outside the city, e.g. in Port Salerno, or Indiantown, or Jensen Beach, are weary of genuflecting to the people of Stuart as if they are better, smarter, or more entitled. Because they’re not.

The three city commissioners who conspired to fire Mike Mortell for whatever petty, selfish reasons they had clearly did not consider the negative impact their action will have on the rest of us, or on Stuart’s precious reputation.

We may not be able to vote against them in City elections, but we sure can when one of them steps up to run for County Commission. Stay tuned.