The Santiva Chronicle publishes opinions and letters on topics that are important to Sanibel and Captiva. They may be submitted via e-mail at news@santivachronicle.com. Views expressed are not necessarily those of the Santiva Chronicle.
Dear Editor,
Thank you to the Santiva Chronicle for providing its readers the resumes of the 13 worthy candidates who applied to fill the temporary vacancies on the Sanibel City Council.
This has been an unprecedented time due to the pandemic and we believe it is necessary to fill these positions with individuals well experienced in city government. This is not the time for on the job training.
To this end, having perused the biographies published online in your newspaper, we feel there is one candidate who would be best positioned to commence duties on day one. She is a full time Sanibel resident which we feel is important as city leadership is not seasonal.
Robyn Cook would provide a fresh face with extensive background having served 8 years as an elected City Council member in Wayzata MN. She is a full time Sanibel resident since 2014 and holds various voluntary positions on island, most notably president of The League of Women Voters.
Most importantly, she can hit the ground running which would be beneficial to both the City Council and the residents.
Nessa Adelson
Dr Michael Derechin
Janice Block
Judith Adler
Caren Schoen
Bob Schoen
Howard Lorsch
Maria Bouloux
Peter Hochschild
Carol Rosenberg
Gayle Pence
Bluma Herman
Victoria Fuchs
Alan Lessack
Robyn cook has a long background in leadership. I’m surprised that her supporters in two articles have left out her extensive experience in the Democratic-Progressive party on Sanibel which will provide island voters a more accurate understanding of Robyn’s strengths and background.
Respectfully submitted, Joe Salatino
Robyn Cook is a well qualified candidate for the City Council position. In addition to her 8 years of experience on the City Council of Wayzata MN, she has also been the respected leader of the non-partisan League of Women Voters here on the Islands.
Sanibel City Councilmembers are expected to be non-partisan and their loyalty is only to the residents of Sanibel. Robyn Cook can be depended upon to represent our interests and not just see the Council as a stepping stone to “move on up”.
The City Council is a non partisan elected body. I have been very careful over my years in local government to not align myself with groups that are partisan. As most folks know I am not active in local partisan clubs. Possibly Mr Salatino is referring to The League of Women Voters which has been a non partisan, educational organization since its founding in 1920.