Councilman Waldack: If the Council would make an effort to reduce expenditures, revenue reductions could follow. Perhaps if the County and State Representatives saw that Marco Island was working to reduce it's expenditures, they would be more inclined to agree with giving us more money. Until the Council shows good faith and intent, that will not happen. By the way, stay out of the shade. You were not elected to be wined and dined by John Arceri or to receive "special briefings" from John at his home. YOU were elected WORK for US and to SERVE the people of our City. Stop lecturing the people who put you in office. Stop trying to dump YOUR responsiblities on the people who elected you. It is your responsiblity to lobby County and State Officials to give us a better break on the distribution of revenue. If you do not want to work for us, or to do the work EXPECTED OF YOU then resign. "Just some thoughts".

Mr. Waldack, in a post to letter you wrote back in July, (http://marconews.com/news/2008/jul/08...) I asked you for the source of the derogatory comment you make about LCEC’s response to Everglades City after Hurricane Wilma. You did not answer my question.

Don’t worry, though, because after reading through the Arceri collection of emails at this site: http://marcoislandblog.blogspot.com/, especially batch 1, I found my answer. Arceri “suggested” the topic for your LCEC commentary, and clearly “helped” you write it. He told you to put in that defamatory statement about LCEC’s response, and you did—I would be willing to wager large dollars that you did nothing to verify the veracity of his hearsay statement.

Speaking of large dollars, where did you get your data that you quote in this current letter to the editor? I recently received my 2008 Notice of Proposed Property Taxes. No matter how I crunch the numbers, either the 2007 or 2008 set, I cannot come up with the percentages you quote. Did you include the tax for Public Schools mandated by State Law in your county figures? Did you also include South Florida Water Management District and Mosquito Control under your Collier County figures? I challenge you to post your references and data that would substantiate your 89% vs. 11% comparison.

With that said, I do note that every single assessment on my proposed property tax notice has decreased from 2007 to 2008 EXCEPT for two—the two controlled by the Marco Island City Council. My City of Marco Island Property tax increased by more than 17%, and the Veterans Park Bond Debt increased by more than 5%.

i'm in the same boat as you avenger...my tax statement has the same % as yours....soooo WAYNE...where'd you get your numbers?

Dear Fossil and Avenger:

It is my understanding that I am still free to choose my friends. Mr. Aceri did serve the City of Marco Island as a City Council Member with honor and class for 8 years and has approximately 40 years of experience in the electric utility business. I did and do look to Mr. Aceri for advice and council because of his past and vast experiences. He offers me advice only upon request and does not want or ask for anything in return.

It is my feeling that a wise man does not necessarily always have the answer to a question, but does know where to find the answer.

Any comments that I have made in rebuttal to LCEC's presentation, I take full responsibility for their accuracy.

It seems that you have a problem with Mr. Aceri and I will let that remain as your problem.

Have a brighter tomorrow.

Wayne Waldack

Dear Bloggers: I have done the research myself and know for a fact that Marco Island gets back 11% of the approx $150 million that we give to thre County in Property taxes. These figures are easily verifiable by either going to our City Hall or to the County seat, or on the web.

Good luck in your research. We don't need nobody else to think for us !!!

Ed Issler

Mr. Waldack, you failed to answer my questions:

--Where did you get your data that you quote in this letter to the editor? When I review my 2008 Notice of Proposed Property Taxes, I cannot come up with the percentages you quote.

--Did you include the tax for Public Schools mandated by State Law in your county figures?

--Did you also include South Florida Water Management District and Mosquito Control under your Collier County figures?

Again, I challenge you to post your references and data that would substantiate your 89% vs. 11% comparison.

Every single assessment on my proposed property tax notice has decreased from 2007 to 2008 EXCEPT for two—the two controlled by the Marco Island City Council. My City of Marco Island Property tax increased by more than 17%, and the Veterans Park Bond Debt increased by more than 5%.

Dear Avenger:

It would be my suggestion that you look at the 2007 tax bill which are real numbers.

Again what did you get for 89% of your tax dollars. Figures show that Marco Island again was a donor on Public School Tax dollars. Maybe that does not bother you but it does bother me.

Figures also show that Marco Island, again, was a donor on SWFMD and mosquito control dollars. Maybe that does not bother you but it does bother me.

County taxes, 89% of your tax bill, has dropped its millage rate by 28% since 1996 while the City of Marco Island (11%) has dropped a more substantial 35% since 1997.

If you wish to perceive that the County is doing more for you, God Bless.

The City has given you more for less and the County has given you less for more.

If your are satisfied, good! I am not.

Wayne Waldack

Mr. Waldack, your post above is so illogical that it’s scary. Why use 2007 data when we have 2008 numbers available? Why blame the county for assessments mandated by state law or the South Florida Water Management District? What “figures” show that Marco Island was a “donor on SWFMD and mosquito control?”

What is your source or reference for all the numbers you quote in this last post? You can toss around all the “figures” you want, but without a link or reference that can be checked, those numbers are worthless.

Avenger, Waldack's source is John Arceri (he admits as much above). Marco Island and now the County has a problem with the figures John Arceri spins. Councilman Waldack, you are correct, I along with many citizens of Marco Island strongly resent John Arceri's manipulation of you, our City Manager and our Public Works Director. If the City Manager and Public Works Director are so inept in the performance of their duties that they require hands on direction from an unpaid private citizen. Then they should be replaced. This is all about perceptions and our City Manager needs to either deny Mr. Arceri's current access to his office and our City employees or give him a job!It's time for our City to be more transparent so that our citizens may have the accountability they deserve.

Fossil (Dr. Ray Parrot):

I admit that John Arceri is a good, honest citizen of Marco Island who has extensive experience (40 plus years) in the electric utility field and served the Citizens of Marco Island as a City Councilman for 8 years. His advice is honest and worthwhile of consideration and he expects and asks for nothing in return. As a concerned citizen, Mr. Arceri has the right to offer his expertise, and he does so without a fee or expected payback.

Mr. McMullen and Fay Biles also seem to be active in offering their advice. Is that also wrong?

It is my duty to seek correct answers and solutions for items that come before me for consideration. John is just one person that I seek advice from and he is a dear friend and he never requests or looks for something in return.

If you have a problem with that, it should remain to be your problem and not mine. I might have sought advice from you, but you always seem so negative. I opt for friends with a more positive outlook.

Why is it that you always seem to attack a people on a personal basis rather than on a factual data?

Wayne Waldack

Mr. Waldack, I am not questioning Mr. Arceri's honesty. I am questioning the improper access and inluence he has in the governance of Marco Island. As our city has never admitted to vetting Mr. Arceri's self supplied qualifications, I have little confidence in them. Rest assurred, my thoughts are grounded on "factual" documents written in John Arceri's own hand. You may review these documents at: http://marcoislandblog.blogspot.com/ You may have all the friends you like and they may give you as much advise as they like. You should however, refrain from permitting any single one of them from pulling your strings by granting them exceptional access when city business is being discussed. These emails imply that you have been and are being manipulated by John Arceri. If you require assistance to govern, form a volunteer advisory committee. Such a committee should be open to all citizens and be representitive of all groups in our community. What you and John Arseri are practicing appears to be some form of collobaration or cronyism in which legal agencies and institutions democraticly established to govern our city, are being bypassed. The perception illustrated by these emails paint the picture that your "friend" (Arceri), has undue influence to say the least. This may be the way public officials govern in South America, but we practice representitive government in the United States. Did you miss the class on ethics when you took civic classes? As for his motives, they remain a mystery but I'm sure one day someone will figure that out too.