Richard O’Brien, a candidate for Bradenton City Council Ward 3, states that the council has been complacent on crime. How dare he make a statement like that without true knowledge of what he is talking about?
He states that the Bradenton Police Department is not fully funded. Where on earth does he live, what planet? He has said that Sarasota has 182 officers compared to Bradenton’s 120. He needs to call Sarasota and get the correct information, as again he is wrong. Mr. O’Brien, I suggest that you check the City Of Sarasota’s tax base and then compare.
Also, Sarasota does not fund a fire department; yes, that’s right, no funding.
He stated that crime is an issue. Right. What city does not have that issue? He will not state that crime in the city of Bradenton is down 7.5 percent. Why is that, Mr. O’Brien? Let me tell you why. We have a police department that does an excellent job. And guess what, they are fully funded. I resent the statement that Bradenton has a bad reputation as made by him at the debates. Where on earth does he come up with this insulting information?
Mr. O’Brien says he has all the answers, but he has never, and I mean never, come forward at any City Council meeting. We have an opportunity for concerned citizens to speak; where are you? Not even at budget meetings have you come and shared your alleged wisdom.
We need people running for office who have a true passion for Bradenton. We don’t need people who are looking for a job. I hope that the voters of this city see through the “Slick Willy” style of campaigning.
Gene Gallo, Councilman, Ward 1, Bradenton Bradenton
No-zeroes debate: Students still must complete the work
This is in response to Antonio Fabiano and Joan Shirey, whose recent letters to the editor reflected their shock and dismay over teachers debating the value of zeroes. I think Fabiano and Shirey are missing the mark. The educators did not say they would allow students to get out of doing the work required. The educators said they would support giving the student another chance to complete the work rather than simply marking a zero for the assignment, which still holds the student accountable for completing his/her work.
Granted, it does take away from the students who handed in their assignments on time, but at least the lagging student will get another opportunity to complete the work, thereby lessening the chance of mounting zeroes and a what’s-the-point-attitude. Perhaps it could keep some students from dropping out.
Donna Rhodes
Bradenton
Bradenton police should enforce red-light law
I strongly disagree with the Bradenton police chief on his letter regarding the cost of red-light citations and the message he is sending to his officers and the community. The purpose of traffic enforcement is to create a climate of compliance with traffic laws, which are designed for everyone’s safety.
Failure to enforce those laws and passing that attitude onto his officers is poor leadership. I have been in law enforcement for many years, and believe me, an officer can find many career red-light runners whose violation is so flagrant that they should not feel guilty about issuing a citation. Many that I have seen probably need a lot stiffer penalty to correct their driving behavior. Many folks learn by a verbal or written warning, with the written warning being a management tool to track officers’ self-initiated activity, which still gets the message to the driver.
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