Thank you to the LWV of Lee
To the editor:
Many thanks to the League of Women Voters of Lee County for putting on its candidate forums.
Having just attended the forums for School Board candidates, County Commissioner candidates, Circuit Judge 20th Judicial Circuit candidates and County Judge candidates, a number of questions have come up.
None of Terry Miller’s clients showed up for the School Board forum. None of the incumbents and a major contender showed up for the County Commissioners forum. The forums for the two judicial spots fared better as five out of six candidates were present.
Is this poor attendance a result of due diligence on the League’s part or -much more likely — due to the callous indifference towards the voters on the part of the missing candidates? An additional possibility is that the candidates were advised to go into hiding.
How is a voter able to make an informed decision in the voting booth when candidates hide from them? Is this an indication that they have something to hide? Should their failure to attend be one of the factors in a voter’s decision?
Could it be that they did not think that a relatively small venue was worth their while? (Or voters are not worth their while.) All of the forums were broadcast live and are available on the League’s website, so the number of voters the candidates in hiding missed may be far greater than they calculated.
As a side note, I thought the questions at the three forums on Saturday were far more pertinent that the questions at the School Board forum.
This is a continuing example of how the politicians you voted into office try to keep the voting public at arm’s length and in the dark. They rely on keeping their office based on name recognition and catchy slogans based on their knowledge that the voting public does not do their due diligence. It’s a shame that voters so easily give up their most precious right in such a manner.
Norman Cannon
Fort Myers