Cape citizens are not happy
To the editor:
The 2009 Cape Coral Citizen Survey results have just been released and once again they say that the people who live here are not too happy with their government. The survey looks at how our city stacks up against other cities in the United States. It compares us to the average of all other cities surveyed and refers to that average as the “benchmark.” The results of this survey have been going downhill since 2005. Allow me to share some of the results with you.
In the area of “Public Trust”, Cape Coral was below the “benchmark” for:
– The Value of “Services for the Taxes Paid”
– The “Overall Direction” that the city is taking
– The job Cape Coral government does at “Welcoming citizen involvement”
– The job Cape Coral government does at “Listening to citizens” and
– The “Overall Image” or reputation of Cape Coral
Let me repeat: In all five categories we were below the benchmark. Anything above 50 percent would be better than the average and anything below 50 percent would be worse than the average. The survey said we were 32 percent, 29 percent, 28 percent, 15percent, and 44 percent for the five categories listed above.
On the question “To what extent do you support or oppose action to increase revenues” (i.e. taxes, fees, etc.) in order to maintain existing levels of service?
The percent of respondents who strongly support, was only 4 percent; Somewhat support, was 24 percent; Somewhat oppose, was 30 percent and Strongly oppose, was 42 percent. In other words, 72 percent of the people said NO to higher taxes and or fees.
This survey does not bode well for any of the incumbents seeking to be re-elected. The message I get from this survey is that the people want to see some changes made in how we are governed. It also tells me that Pete Brandt and Bill Deile will finally get the support they need to turn this city around for the better.
Sal Grosso
Cape Coral