Letters to the Editor for December 15, 2012

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Letters to the Editor for December 15, 2012

Opinions

Friday, 14 December 2012 16:09

Setback
To the Editor:
While Poinciana has been making strides over the last few years and getting the attention that an area with a population of over 53,000 residents deserves, the week of Dec. 3 will go down in the history books as a major setback for the area. With transportation issues the major concern for Poinciana residents, they believed their incumbent, Commissioner Brandon Arrington, when he stated during this past election that in his role as chairman of MetroPlan and board member of SunRail and Lynx he was in a better position to serve the residents of Poinciana than his challenger. But just a month after his re-election, Commissioner Arrington, landed his first ever real job in the private sector with a company that was just awarded a major contract with MetroPlan.
While nobody is saying that Commissioner Arrington’s actions are illegal, the coincidence of this company landing the contract and the hiring of Commissioner Arrington sure does give the appearance of impropriety. Commissioner Arrington must have come to the same realization as he has resigned from all transportation related boards (MetroPlan, Lynx and SunRail). This is a major blow to Poinciana. The commissioner who will replace him on these boards will not be directly representing Poinciana or have Poinciana’s interests foremost in their thoughts or even fully understand or appreciate the needs of a community that they have no connection to. Community leaders will be back to square one in their fight for better transportation service for the area wiping out all the positive strides that they have made over the past few years.
Unfortunately, this event is the result of voters selecting an individual to represent them who makes them promises based upon what he thinks they want to hear but is more interested in personal gain than public service. Elected officials have to remember that it is a privilege to serve their fellow residents and that residents are the employer and elected officials are the employees. Personal agendas have no place in government service. It should be an honor to serve their fellow citizens and not just a stepping stone to advance their own career or pocket. As voters we would all be better off if we forget about the promises and the rhetoric candidates speak and look at past actions and the true history as told by unbiased third parties when selecting who will represent our interests.
Jeffery A. Goldmacher
Kissimmee