The Newscaster/Nature Coast News
PAGE 11 - October 10, 2007
"Where are All The Volunteers?  Continued from page 10
Editorial - Opinion - Commentary
sealed plans, the theft of plans overnight, the theft of an IWI computer, attempts to thwart
Yankeetown Mayor's Report
existing land deals..... the list is endless. Who wouldn't want to see these folks squirm under
oath while they can't seem to remember details of their lives or their actions? If the people in
A Guest Commentary by Mayor Dawn Clary
the town who go to watch happen to be members of the Yankeetown Women's Club, so what?
This is a town of 400 homes. When something this big happens, you go and look. And, for
While there are many things that I should write about this week as there has been a
the record, "Closer", they are all too busy giving in an authentic way to this town to watch
lot going on now, I guess I should address the latest law suit filed by Forum Architects since
soaps. If you knew any of them and could see the energy they put into working for Yankee-
it includes much of your government. The suit is against 30 people which include 3 members
town and Inglis, you would voice THAT instead of your mean spirited drivel.
of the Town Council, the Mayor, two members of the Planning and Zoning Commission, two
4.
Attacks on the 46 year old Yankeetown Women's Club are one of the latest special-
members of the Board of Adjustment, two members of the Board of Trustees, one member of
ties of the hounds from you-know-where. The "ladies" who applaud the attacks on the
our Drainage Committee, our contract minute taker and Fire Fighter, and one former Town
developer and on their neighbors want to start their own "ladies' club". Isn't that cunning?
Council member. My apologies if I left anyone out.
Instead of joining the existing club which has a very long history of devotion to the commu-
The balance of the individuals are area citizens who took an interest in their commu-
nity, local school, and those who are in need, they want to start their own club because they
nity. Some are elderly and to borrow a phrase from one of my colleges, have had to spend more
perceive themselves to be better "ladies". To paraphrase Senator Lloyd Bentsen, "I know
time battling health problems then environmental causes. Some are a mystery as they appear
some real ladies, and when you commit the acts you have, you are no ladies".
to have had little or no involvement at all. The suit alleges interference with the business
5.
Most of the town's citizens assume that your governance does not impact them
relationship between Forum Architects, Pete Spittler, and Izaac Walton Investors whose agent
negatively. But your undying focus on fighting IWI has produced collateral damage on all
is James Sherwood. The suit claims that Forum was under contract by Izaac Walton Investor
citizens of this town. We are in the position of having to divine what actions you will take next
to design a mixed use development project on six parcels of land in Yankeetown and that these
that will harm our property values. It is you who broke the trust of your office to serve all the
30 individuals interfered with or conspired to interfere, with that contract and business rela-
people of this town, all the needs of the town and the future of the town. When you supported
tionship.
a water treatment plant that is too small for future growth, pushed the drainage problem off on
One individual is being sued for Invasion of Privacy. Spittler and Sherwood's project
the individual residents with your talk of homemade swales, and your refusal to face up to the
was submitted under what some call "by right" which means it was to be under our normal
fact that forcing sellers of homes to put in new septic systems will not clean up the river.
zoning regulations and comprehensive plan. The bulk of the project was denied by our
When aged, broken pipes and broken down septic tanks leach decay into the river, it is you
Zoning Official, Rebecca Jetton in January of this year. The suit appears very similar to what
who failed to pursue a sewage treatment plant that was planned in the last "clean water"
is called a "SLAPP" suit, which stands for a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation.
proposal. Again, you propose to punish the homeowner when the future of this town re-
Per the Wikipedia free encyclopedia "The term was originally defined as a lawsuit involving
quires a modern sewage treatment system.
communications made to influence a governmental action or outcome, which resulted in a
Now, you may feel criticized. I understand that. Several of you actually did engage in town
civil complaint or counterclaim filed against nongovernmental individuals or organizations on
politics to defend the town and serve it. You were misled into thinking that the single minded
a substantive issue of some public interest or social significance. It has been defined more
pursuit of destroying Mayor Johannessen and Sherwood Partners would "save Yankee-
broadly by some to include suits arising from speech in connection with a public issue. This
town". You were wrong. You have sown the seeds of town destruction with your mania to
form of litigation is frequently filed by organizations or individuals to intimidate and silence
stop the developer. Our taxes are not intended to defend you for your personal misdeeds.
critics or opponents by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense so that they abandon
You were offered the chance to negotiate, you refused. You were offered free land in exchange
their criticism or opposition."
for authentic consideration of their plans, you testily replied, "We don't want your land". You
The situation poses very hard philosophical questions about democracy. People
call the thinking people of this town, "the opposition", when YOU, in fact are the opposition
have to ask themselves if they want their government to respond to the vote of the people or
to growth, modern sanitary conditions, sufficient water treatment for future growth and a
for the governmental vote to be influenced by the fear or weight of lawsuits? This is my own
comprehensive plan that serves the people, not your lust for defeating development. Your
opinion and mine alone.
efforts have not saved Yankeetown. Yankeetown is dangerously close to spending itself into
Good night and good Luck, Dawn Marie Clary Mayor of Yankeetown
a pit defending you for your pettiness and failure to live up to your oaths.
Letter to the Editor:
If you want additional people who are capable of cooperation and competence added to your
Re: "Injustice and Attempts To Intimidate"
committees you need to do two things:
A man is born into this world with a name. He leaves this world with only that name
A.
Formally and publicly apologize in person and in writing to former Mayor
on a stone. It is, for some men, all that they have. It is precious. As a defendant in Yankeetown's
Johannessen for the lies told about her person and her administration. No public servant
most recent frivolous lawsuit - damage has been done, and indecent, unnecessary liberties
should have that kind of scandal falsified and brandished as was done. No one is going to
have been taken with mine.
forgive you until you apologize.
It is impossible not to think of my father. He was the best man in the world. All those,
B.
Recognize and respect that there are many people in this town who are civic minded,
without exception, who knew and worked with him (they numbered in the many, many
but not single minded. Your myopia could be remedied by hearing and legitimizing the
thousands) would agree. The name meant so very much to him, for he and other generations
viewpoints of those who have more experience in public work than you do. Zealotry has a
shared it, and he gave it to me. Today is the first time since his death, 5 years ago, that I am
place, but it is time to move on and face the real problems of this town without sarcasm,
glad he is not here.
website sniping and divisiveness. You are guilty of these. You have fostered and applauded
Some men seem to take their actions, and the effect of those actions, lightly, with no
these cruelties. They have no place in a town that has been wounded as you have wounded
concern. We weren't blessed with life to do so.
it. This town will not heal until these two things are accomplished. The town needs to stop
G.D. Ross, Yankeetown
this jihad against the developer and do the right thing by negotiating, and developing a safe,
suitable growth plan. Like our brave troops, we remember the damage you did to this town
and we will NOT go away. Radie Armstrong,Yankeetown, Florida
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