Letter to the Editor:  They are turning our Venice City Council into the same as the County Commissioners, owned by Neal and Brill.

Would it be rude to start a letter with, “ WHADDA YOU DOIN?” I am at a loss of City Council’s rush to change 100 years of how voters of Venice elect their government officials.

It’s taken them five months to decide if they’ll accept a sculpture and where to place it.  But, in no time, they propose cutting Venice elections by 50% without input by the Charter Commission or engaging in public outreach.  This all smacks of backdoor secret dealings and hidden motives.

What are the motives you ask? Well, let’s see who would benefit the most from gutting our annual  City Council elections:

1) The three councilors that wouldn’t have to run next year. Nick Pachota, Rachel Frank and Rick Howard.  They would get an extra year on their current terms.

2)The County Republican bosses. Aligning all Venice elections with national elections helps them bury local issues and rely on straight-ticket voters to get their hand-picked candidates elected.  No more Mitzie Fielder-type losses. And no more local independent-minded candidates.

3) Big-money real estate developers that fund those chosen candidates.

Gee, maybe those motives aren’t so hidden after all.

Tommye Whittaker
Venice, FL