To the Editor:

It is totally outrageous what the current and former fire boards have done to the department. They have been acting dangerously in disregard of all citizens well being in Lehigh Acres.

Not only have they been shoving they radical, destructive agenda down Lehigh Acres throat, but they have been carrying out an all-out assault on true conservative ideas that will turn the fire department around.

With a union controlled board for the last three election cycles they have been filled with nasty surprises, racking up issue after issues with no resolve.

Even when the blue ribbon committee of many Lehigh Acres community leaders tried to intervene and save the fire department from themselves, they the board did not find the resolve to fix any of the issues. Why?

If that wasn’t bad enough, instead of rejoicing in their ill-gotten victory, the union backed board immediately began smearing their opponents and portraying ordinary citizens who have opposed the fire department board as wild-eyed extremists and domestic terrorists.

But now someone has made death threats to my wife and me and threatened to burn down our home. This is the only reason that I have withdrawn from the Fire Board race. But I will continue to hold the fire board and union accountable for issues that they have both caused on this great community of Lehigh Acres.

I am asking that no one vote for Larry Becker or Cathy Kruse. And these are the reasons why: Becker wants to get rid of your ambulance service and give the service totally to Lee County EMS. Do you want to wait 10 to 20 minutes to transported to a hospital? Could your life be hanging be a thread or someone that love and you most wait and wait and wait for a Lee County Ambulance?

Just remember that in 1976 Lehigh Acres purchased their first ambulance through a telethon on our local Lehigh cable vision. It’s not just community pride any more, it’s simple we own five ambulances and we need to be using five ambulances. Emergency medical care is a critical need in this community, so why isn’t Mr. Becker not stepping up to the plate and finding real solutions to the issues at hand?

Now for Mrs. Kruse: Kruse if elected will have to abstain from voting on any contract with the union – why because her son will soon be re-employed by the LAFD. Plus she will be supported by the union. This community cannot afford to have a possibility in having a fire commissioner that must abstain on voting on the biggest expense the LAFD has, its payroll. Is this fair to the voters and citizens in Lehigh Acres? Would she make a true representative of Lehigh Acres when she could not legally vote on major issues?

If the union-backed board has their way, a weakened Lehigh Acres will not be able to stand up and fix the major issues looming over the fire department. Unless the union and the board can get together and cut payroll expenses, in 18 to 20 months the Lehigh Acres Fire Department will be laying off employees again. And this time it will be too late for the community and the Lehigh Acres Fire and Rescue District.

Robert Anderson

Lehigh Acres

To be fair, the county EMS has told the fire board at public meetings that if Lehigh gave up its ambulances, they would strategically put ambulances in Lehigh stations as they do all over unincorporated Lee County and time would basically not change when people call for help. In a word, they promised they could be at any site in Lehigh within minutes of a call, but the present board turned them down. They send ambulances every week to Lehigh when local equipment is unavailable. But many believe having ambulance service in Lehigh is a good for bringing additional income to the department, despite the very large write-offs when people don’t pay their ambulance bills and despite the fact that Lehigh residents already pay for county EMS throuh their taxes. – Ed.