To the Editor,

It looks like East County Water Control District Chairman Desmond Barrett is changing direction after all the years of voting against tax increases. He says that everyone can afford a tax raise to $107 per acre, once a year, completely disregarding the plight

of thousands of the poor and unemployed and seniors on a fixed income living in Lehigh Acres. Apparently he will not run in 2012 as a vote for raising taxes in Lehigh is a political “kiss of death.” Neal Horrom is also leaning in the direction of raising taxes and he and John Boardman are running for

reelection next year.

Remember what happened to Damon Shelor – he voted and raised taxes and was then voted out of office and defeated by a candidate that did not even campaign. Commissioner Mike Welch suggested a zero budget and not raise any taxes. But Barrett wants to raise taxes, rather than look into changing the way the whole operation is run so the most can be made of the available work force after cutting the not needed and duplicating services.

Even their own finance committee member Richard Gregorian spoke about reducing office staff. I proposed a list of cost cuts just on the office

staff of $500,000 but was rudely and continuously interrupted by Barrett during their last meeting and

Horrom and they would not consider either proposal. They never learn,do they?

The coming state audit starting in the fall may shed some light on how badly this whole operation has been run over the past eight years; we’ll see.

Frank Lohlein

Lehigh Acres

Chairman of CAIT, Citiens

Against Increased Taxes