Letter To The City Council

  As you may have noticed, I have a penchant for writing letters. The following letter was e-mailed to all members of the Dunnellon City Council on June 28, 2006. We will publish their replies as soon as they are received.

Publisher

Dear Councilperson,

  In the interest of free and open government, I would like to illicit your opinions on the proposed development called the Rainbow River Ranch. As you are aware, there are many people who are opposed to this development, as evidenced by the recent petition presented to the council by the Rainbow River Conservation group, containing over 1000 signatures.

  As the publisher of Dunnellon Online, which receives more than 1500 visits each month from local residents; I believe that our readers would be interested in hearing your reasons for supporting the project. This is an opportunity for you to clarify your position on this important issue, and we will publish your responses verbatim, without any editing or bias.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration. Your response can be e-mailed to the following address:

webmaster@dunnellononline.com


Cordially,

Robert Randall Burke
Publisher
Dunnellon Online
www.dunnellononline.com

Update: Thursday, June 29th, 2006

  No answer from the Council yet. Hope springs eternal. Perhaps if they received some e-mails or phone calls from the readers of Dunnellon Online, they just might respond. Don't count on it. The fix is in. Whether it succeeds or not is up to you.

  We will keep trying. There must be someone at City Hall who feels they have a responsibility to the electorate. The key word there is 'electorate'. That's you. The future is in your hands, not theirs. Once you realize that, you can save this town, before it's too late.

  Should you want to e-mail the Grand Council, their e-mail addresses can be found below. I have included their official photographs for inspiration.

http://www.dunnellon.org/custom/index.cfm?ID=8688

Update: July 6, 2006

  To her credit, Councilwoman Hilton responded to the e-mail. She stated her inability to comment on the matter due to the pending mediation. We commend Mrs. Hilton for her response.

  We are still waiting for a response from the mayor and other councilpersons.

Update: July 25, 2006

  Still no reply from the mayor and other council members. It would seem that they have not read the City's Mission Statement, wherein they pledge to be accessible to the public. Of course, in that same Mission Statement they promised to preserve the Rainbow River, so it is not surprising that they ignore the other promises they have made.

  One is forced to conclude that this is not an administration, but rather a regime, bent on it's own self-preservation and immune to any probing questions.

  Regardless, we will continue to ask questions. We do not suffer tyrants easily.