Voters have important task at hand
To the editor:
On Aug. 23 the citizens of Lee County will have an important task. Vote!
Aug. 23 is the primary election in Lee County. Candidates for office will be chosen based on party. The candidate with the most primary votes in each county, state and federal primary, whether Republican or Democrat, will be chosen as the candidate for the general election in November.
Some races are non-partisan, such as Cape Coral City Council and the school board candidate races.
In the school board elections, the candidate who wins 51% of the votes does not need to progress to the general election. He or she automatically wins the seat for that district. In a race with more than two candidates, the vote is obviously split between all candidates, so the likelihood of winning a seat in the primary is greatly reduced. But it is possible for a popular candidate to win the primary. To further expand, there are often only 15 to 20% of eligible voters voting in each primary. This means that a few votes one way or the other could mean the difference of a candidate winning or losing a seat.
Let’s focus more on the school board races.
Most voters don’t try to acquaint themselves with the candidates, with their platforms, with their knowledge of school issues, with their character, or with past school board performance, in the case of incumbent candidates. It is the voter’s responsibility to know the candidates, know the issues, and know the effect that each candidate will have on the board, if that candidate is elected. Voters cannot simply see a name they recognize and punch the button next to it.
Most voters rely on yard signs, radio and TV ads, mailout, and word of mouth to determine which candidate to vote for. This can be badly misleading. How often have negative ads turned voters unjustifiably against a candidate? Consider that if an ad lies about a candidate in some fashion, that represents the attitude of the party or person that published that ad. And that represents the attitude of the candidate as well. Do you want that kind of candidate elected to the seat? A candidate willing to do any dirty deed to win? Do you want corruption to continue in the politicians you elect?
Look at what the Lee County School Board has done in the past year: COVID mask mandates, attempts to force mandatory vaccination on students and staff, total school shutdowns, distant learning, falling test scores, LGBTQ+ issues that have been demanded without any parental input. Mental health issues with students, board-approved books in school libraries that I would say are blatantly pornographic, increased crime and assault in schools, teacher and bus driver shortages from negative board policies. The divisiveness between parent attendees and the board is intense. I keeping with the Biden DOJ mandates, parents at board meetings were treated as terrorists. Audience size was severely curtailed using COVID as the excuse. The small group of audience members was ringed by 12 to 15 sheriff’s deputies in full body armor at every meeting. Speakers in public comment were limited to 1 minute to give remarks. I personally witnessed school board parent attendees being forcibly ejected by deputies. One woman was dragged out. When this behavior occurs, obviously the school board is sanctioning it. Board attitudes affect public opinion, and they show a willful disregard for the opinions and feelings of parents, and by extension, for their children’s safety, sanity, and education.
These incumbent board members running again are: Debbie Jordan, District 4,and Gwynetta Gittens, District 5. Mary Fischer, District 1, and Betsy Vaughn, District 6, have chosen not to run. Their seats are up for grabs as well. So there are a total of four seats up for replacement in the Aug. 23 primary. In Cape Coral, you can vote in two — depending on where you live, either District 1 or 4 and District 6, which is at-large, meaning all registered voters can vote in that race.
Voters have two choices: to re-elect incumbents and continue business as usual, or find four new candidates with values and goals compatible with your own, values that will improve your children’s education and school safety, and elect those candidates.
The voters have the final say. Let’s be an informed electorate, learn which candidates will do the most to improve and unify the Lee County School Board, and successfully improve public education, for the benefit of all who live in Lee County, in Florida, and in the United States. The rest of the country is watching what we do this electoral season. Let’s do the right thing and set a great example by voting in the right candidates for Lee County School Board!
Thank you.
Edward F. Drass, M.D.
Cape Coral