CONDO FIGHT JUST BEGINNING

Letter to Editor, Panama City News Herald July 28, 2007

B

ig investigation: They started it Wednesday and finished it Wednesday ("Police cleared in condo incident," news, July 20). The decision was obviously made before the investigation really started. 

    

Police Chief Robert Harding's statement is nothing but a joke and one of the lamest excuses I've ever heard.  It's not even funny to know that these kind of people are in charge of our local police.

 

The big question: Will the city commissioners let him -- and the city manager -- get away with this excuse that insults the intelligence of all citizens? Since this incident was part of an association problem it might be interesting to know that more than 80% of recalls in associations are actually not directed against the board members, but the managers and attorneys. Why recall the board? Owners can't vote to fire the manager -- but they can replace the board and then fire the manager! Happens all the time!

In this case the voters can't remove the police chief and the city manager, but they can vote for different commissioners, who can then fire these "cover-up" specialists!

 

To be very honest: We citizens should be even more determined to reduce the property taxes, so there is no more money to pay for these kind of police officers who do more damage than good! If this is what they call "protect and serve" we're better off protecting ourselves. This investigation would have been a good opportunity to stop the looming law suit and save taxpayers' money. 

It will be fun to see Officer Nichols and CAM Ray McDonald sweat on the witness stand. There they will face a judge and a jury, not some helpless elderly condo dwellers. Let's see if they dare to scream at the judge and jury with red faces -- trying to intimidate them. I guess Chief Harding and city manager Richard Jackson will be good witnesses since they have to explain what their officers were doing on private property? And everybody is already waiting to listen to the call that brought the police to the scene! Or were the officers already in place to help their good buddy Ray? 

They will have a lot of explaining to do at the civil trial -- wasting good taxpayers' money! 

This is far from over! Actually -- it's really just getting started! 


Jan Bergemann, Deland


Editor's note: The writer is a member of Cyber Citizens for Justice, a state-wide group that advocates for condominium owners rights and which is involved in the Fontainebleau Terrace dispute. 


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