Commissioner Cathy Kruse and Commissioner Lucia Sherman just voted and approved the budget that gives the firefighters a 5% raise this year and has voted and union contract. (Note Kruse’s son works for the department as a fireman, also does Sherman’s husband work for the department as a fireman.)
By the way you may want to read Florida Statue 112.3135 2(a) A public official may not appoint, employ, promote, or advance, or advocate for appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement, in or to a position in the agency in which the official is serving or over which the official exercises jurisdiction or control any individual who is a relative of the public official. An individual may not be appointed, employed, promoted, or advanced in or to a position in an agency if such appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement has been advocated by a public official, serving in or exercising jurisdiction or control over the agency, who is a relative of the individual or if such appointment, employment, promotion, or advancement is made by a collegial body of which a relative of the individual is a member. However, this subsection shall not apply to appointments to boards other than those with land-planning or zoning responsibilities in those municipalities with less than 35,000 population. This subsection does not apply to persons serving in a volunteer capacity who provide emergency medical, firefighting, or police services. Such persons may receive, without losing their volunteer status, reimbursements for the costs of any training they get relating to the provision of volunteer emergency medical, firefighting, or police services and payment for any incidental expenses relating to those services that they provide.
Mere approval of budgets shall not be sufficient to constitute “jurisdiction or control” for the purposes of this section. (Editorial note: The two commissioners voted and approval not only the budget but the actual contract of employment with the union …… that is control and jurisdiction)
Bernadette Kaminski Hicks said on Facebook, “Time to have a special election to vote in new fire commissioners instead of this band of thieves.”
Cynthia Williams said on Facebook, “My taxes will be too much as a single mom ill lose all.”
Brian Phillips said on Facebook, “it is not about the $19 it is the principle that they are fiscally irresponsible – for example the fire station that was damaged by Hurricane Irma was underinsured – why do they get away with underinsuring their property but you and I cannot?
Not to mention the fact that the company that is building the new fire station paid the $$$ for the advertising campaign over the summer – shady tactics!”
We have questions for the Commissioners and the Chief???
Why were you underinsured ?????
Why do you actually need a new station ????
It takes 15-20 mins for a fire truck or ambulance but it only takes under eight to ten minutes driving normal speeds from station 104 to north sunshine or station 101 to north sunshine, why. Is there other issues that the taxpayers need to know about Commissioners?
When will the Fire Department learn you can not hide the real facts for the people of Lehigh Acres?