Manatee County school board, administration wrong to line sales tax vote to impact fee discount

I hoped I would never have to write this letter. Now age 60, I have voted in every election since I was 18 years old. No matter where I've lived, I've never cast a "no" vote on a school funding proposal. Until now.

I went to public schools, as did my wife and all three of our children. Two of my children are Manatee High graduates. I was on the MHS SAC for six years and chaired it for two years. Quality public schools are the best way to preserve our democracy.

I am shocked that our school board and district leadership persists in tying extension of the half percent sales tax to a 50 percent reduction in impact fees.

They could not have devised a more certain way to assure defeat of the sales tax proposal. It has zero chance of passing in its current form.

The school board's refusal to de-couple the sales-tax increase from impact fees is an implicit and cynical acknowledgement that developers, not voters, are in charge of this county and its schools.

The board and superintendent entered into an immoral alliance with developers to throw them a huge financial bone in exchange for developer financing of the campaign to approve the sales tax extension.

While initially supporting the corrupt proposal, only Dave "Watchdog" Miner among the board members now recognizes how foolishly wrong it is. He is willing to put his faith in us, the voters of Manatee County, not the developers.

Not surprisingly, the developers are bankrolling Miner's challenger in the upcoming election. He is far too independent for a group used to having its own way. After all, he saved McKelvey Park from becoming a strip mall, depriving some developer of a tidy profit.

Scott Bassett

Bradenton

This story was originally published May 4, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Manatee County school board, administration wrong to line sales tax vote to impact fee discount ."