Written by Jemzee Barrett Editor Lehigh Acres Gazette
Robert John Anderson took office as a Lehigh fire commissioner Tuesday evening and started shake up what has become the traditional way the Lehigh Acres fire board has of doing business, calling for discussion on what other members expected to be a routine financial report and preventing the interim fire chief from formalizing a feasibility study on 15 acres for a new Fire Complex.
List price for the 15 acres across from Veterans Park on Homestead is $799,000 but Interim Fire Chief Robert DiLallo believes he can get it between $550,000 to $600,000 dollars and sell the old station on Homestead Rd for nearly the same.
Interim Fire Chief Robert DiLallo wanted money for feasibility study and 5% down to hold property. But with a 4-1 vote to add the agenda to allow to these item Commissioner Anderson stop that item cold.
Anderson used their own commissioner handbook to stop the illegal agenda item.
It states in the handbook page 14 the vote to add an item to the agenda;” solely upon a unanimous vote of the Board members.” Commissioner Kruse and Carter badgered Commissioner Anderson for more than ten minutes trying to get him to change his mind. “You’re not going to get me to change my mind”, said Anderson.
The Fire Commissioners also voted 4-1 to cancel Decembers fire board meeting. Anderson rejected the idea of canceling the meeting — He stated it’s the people’s board and we should have the meeting. Anderson went on to say the board had a meeting on Halloween evening, so having a meeting on a holiday is not an issue and Carter jokingly said how about Christmas Day, Anderson said ok, how about 9 am?
We at the Lehigh Acres Gazette do not understand why the other fire commissioners cannot understand normal thinking, it’s the people’s money, the people’s fire board but they continue to spend, spend and spend.
We will see what happens next on Jan 17, 2017 meeting……..